Tempest Flame: Tale of the Swiftriver
by Firestorm Nauralagos
Summary: An enormous, disfiguring burn will give a young Diviner more than enough troubles in Ravenwood, but being thrown into the School of Pyromancy despite her extreme fear of fire will add an interesting new twist to her life ... as will a new best friend, a Pyromancy student who loves fire-even after a fire accident that left her with a permanent disability. Completed.
1. Chapter 1: Brooke Swiftriver

_**A/N:** This is the back story of Brooke Swiftriver, one of my O.C.'s from The Destiny of Fire's Song. If you haven't read The Destiny of Fire's Song, you might want to. There may be some references to that story, but not huge ones that will disable your ability to understand this story._

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Wizard101. Lame. I can do better than that . . ._

**_Thanks to my beta reader, Dylexia! :)_**

"Brooke, where are you?"

"In here, Mommy," the eight year old called back. She was sitting in her special chair (the blue wooden one, with a purple cloud on the back) and was flipping through a cookbook. Brooke had her knees pulled close to her chest, using them to prop up the large, indigo book. The thick pages sometimes stuck together, and she had to pry them apart. There was a very specific recipe the girl wanted . . .

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing!" Soon enough, Brooke stumbled across what she had been looking for: waffles. "There they are!" Her father, Terrence, had just returned from a long day at work. He was a supervisor at the Storm Mill, and the other employees got on his nerves frequently. Her mother, Azura, ran a bakery, and her hands would get tired easily from constantly squeezing pastry bags filled with bright colored frosting. They were both exhausted from work, so Brooke had decided to make them dinner. Her twin siblings, Calder and Cascade, were only five; too young to help. She had learned to read (slowly) at the Triton Avenue pre-magic school, so reading the recipe would be easy as pie. Or waffles. She slid down from her chair and started gathering utensils and ingredients.

"Are you sure?" Azura's tone was skeptical; Brooke was sometimes a little too curious for her own good, and more than one accident had resulted in her curiosity and adventurous spirit.

"Yes!" The eight year old squinted at the cookbook. She was pretty sure THAT word was salt, and that one was . . . maybe eggs? She'd never even heard of "gsura." Maybe it was some sort of spice? She rubbed her head, frustrated. All those weird words. Brooke had no idea there were so many foreign ingredients in waffles. nilvala, gsura, and roflu? What the heck were those? "Hey Mommy? What's 'gsura,' 'nilvala,' and 'rolfu?'"

"What? Brooke, what are you reading?"

"I'm just looking at the labels on things in the cupboards!"

"Bring whatever it is here," Azura sighed. Frantically, Brooke looked around. She found a big bag with "gsura" on it, another with "roflu," and a small bottle with "nilvala," and she brought them into the living room. Azura immediately burst out laughing.

"Those aren't . . . whatever you said, Brooke! They're sugar, flour, and vanilla!"

"Oh," she sighed, feeling her cheeks grow hot.

"From now on, if you want to read something, ask me to help you," she said, still laughing a bit. "Dyslexia is a pain, I know, but someday you might learn to read better."

"What makes me not read right?"

"Dyslexia. It means there's something missing from your brain, and so you can't understand words very well, remember? The doctor told you last month."

"The doctor explained it weird. It didn't make any sense when SHE said it."

"Go on, go back to whatever you were doing in the kitchen. Let me know if you need me to read something for you."

"Okay, I will." Brooke skipped back into the kitchen.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Half An Hour Later - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Brooke stared uncertainly at the plate of waffles. They were completely flat, for one thing. Some were burnt to a crisp, others leaked batter from the insides when she pressed on them, and all of them were a strange orange-y color.

"Brooke, what in the Spiral-" She spun around, and behind her stood her mother.

"I was trying to make waffles, but I don't think I did it right," she admitted, staring at the miserable pile of food dejectedly. Azura laughed.

"Oh, Brooke, what are we going to do with you? You put in orange juice instead of milk!"

"Oh. Oops." Her mom smiled.

"Here, Brooke, why don't you help me make some more waffles? After dinner, I can help you make a pictures-only cookbook so you can follow the recipes easier." She put an arm around her daughter comfortingly, and the eight year old smiled.

"Okay."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Late That Night - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Brooke couldn't sleep. She thought that she could smell something strange, but she didn't know exactly what it was. Her bedroom was uncomfortably hot, and her night-music had gone off, leaving her in complete silence. The room was lit only by a small nightlight, which cast an eerie, pale yellow glow on the walls and floor. Her dresser, desk, and C.D. player cast shadows that loomed over her like monsters, and she clutched her dolphin-print sheet tightly, covering her head to avoid the sight. She desperately wanted to turn on her music, but the C.D. player was across the room, and to get to it, she'd have to get out of bed. The thought was far more terrifying than the silence. She peered out from under her covers, and she thought she saw a strange something in front of her door. It was a cloudy looking snake, one that wove its way lazily through the room, slowly, calmly. It wasn't afraid when she tentatively threw her teddy-fish at it. Her heart pounded against the inside of her chest, beating so loudly that Brooke was sure the snake could hear it. Her breathing was fast and shallow, her eyes wider than bowls. Her tangled black hair was damp with sweat, and her hands were so tight on the sheet, she could barely feel them.

The snake got thicker, and longer, too. It looked more like a big gray mass than a little thing. The smell had gotten stronger, too, and her room was stifling. There was a crackling noise coming from the hallway, and a strange, flickering light was seeping under the door. Brooke knew instantly what it was: fire. She threw back her sheets and scrambled out of bed. The fire was blocking her door; she'd have to use a window. One window was a straight drop to the ground 10 feet below. The other opened onto the roof, which was a gentle slope for about four feet. Six feet was still a far drop, but it was better than 10. Brooke kicked the wall as hard as she could, the wall between her parents' bedroom and her own. She kept kicking it, harder and harder, until an answering knock came.

"Mommy! There's a fire," she shrieked in terror, staring at the flames, which were beginning to creep under the door. Soon, a muffled reply came from the opposite room.

"I know, Brooke. Go out through the window. We're going to get your brother and sister out. Run next door to Mrs. Blueblossom's house and ask her to call the Pyromancer Department. Okay?"

"Okay. You promise you'll be out behind me?" For a moment, there was a horrible silence, but soon her mother replied:

"Yes. The four of us will meet you outside. Now go! Get out of the house!" Brooke ran to the window and pushed it open. She crawled out, pushing the blue curtains aside as she hastily escaped her room. She inched down the roof, like the Pyromancer Department had taught her class in pre-magic school, and then hung from the end, being careful to hold on to the gutter. When she was hanging as low as she could, she squeezed her eyes shut, begged the Tritons to save her, and released her death grip on the roof.

The impact with the ground wasn't nearly as bad as she'd thought. In fact, since she landed on the grass, it was a moderately painless landing. As soon as the dizzy feeling had faded, Brooke stood up and stared back at her bedroom. She could see the flames through her window now, and they were getting bigger and bigger. She remembered her mother's words: "Go and call the Pyromancer Department."

"Okay, Mommy. I'm going," she whispered to herself, turning from the awful sight. She ran towards the pale blue house next door, pushing aside the lilac bushes that bordered the elderly woman's property. Brooke ran around to the white front door and pounded on it. There was no response for a minute, but she could see a glow coming from a downstairs room. A shadow passed the window, and another light flickered on. A moment later, the door opened, revealing the old woman's daughter, Kelly Greenstar. The young lady was dressed in purple silky pajamas, and her long, golden brown hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail.

"Yes? What is it, Brooke?" Kelly was her babysitter.

"Our house is on fire! My mommy said to come to your house and call the Pyromancer Department," she replied tearfully.

"What? Are your parents and siblings okay?"

"I don't know! They're still inside! Mommy said that she was going to get Calder and Cascade out of the house, and she said she would be out right behind me."

"Come inside, quickly!" Kelly ushered Brooke into the dim house, brought her into the kitchen, and sat her down on her favorite high stool, the one she always sat on when she was at Mrs. Blueblossom's house.

"Mom?" Sabrina, Kelly's 10 year old daughter, wandered into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "What's going on?"

"Go back to sleep, Sabrina. Brooke just came over because there's a little problem at her house," Kelly informed her daughter softly, picking up the phone and dialing a number.

"Okay." The girl turned around, and a second later, Brooke could hear footsteps going up the stairs.

"Pyromancer Department, please . . . yes, I'd like to report a fire at Number 15, Triton Avenue. . . . As far as I know, only one has gotten out. There are four more inside . . . eight . . . four, four, and two parents . . . Swiftriver . . . Terrence and Azura . . . Cascade and Calder . . . yes, I have Brooke here . . . " Brooke tuned out after a few minutes of that, her mind wandering to more important things: Were her parents, brother and sister okay? Had they made it out of the house yet? Would the Pyromancer Department get there in time to save her house? She thought those questions over for a while, wishing that none of this had happened.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10 Minutes Later - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Brooke jumped when she heard the wailing of a siren. She ran over to the front window and pushed aside the curtain. She could see four big vehicles with flashing lights, all of them parked in front of her house. Two were painted bright red, each one with glowing letters on the side. Brooke couldn't figure out what they said. The other two were green, and they had more glowing letters and a big, metallic green leaf mounted on the top.

"Kelly? What do those trucks say," she called. Kelly walked over and peered outside.

"Those two red trucks say 'Pyromancer Department,' and the green ones say 'Theurgist Department.'"

"Why are there trucks from the Theurgist Department? Aren't the Theurgists healers?" Kelly's face was sad as she replied.

"The Theurgist Department is here because . . . well, your parents and siblings have been in there a pretty long time. They might be hurt, and they would need to be brought to the Theurgist Department for healing." Her tone was tentative and slow, like she was trying not to reveal anything to Brooke.

"Oh." Brooke paused for a second, and then continued. "Can we go see my house? I want to see it again." Her babysitter hesitated for a minute, and then nodded.

"Come with me, and don't let go of my hand for a second, okay?"

"Okay." Kelly took her hand and opened the door. The two of them stepped outside and walked down to the street, and then they turned to face Brooke's house. The girl gasped, her eyes widening in horror. She felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she stared at her house. Huge, ravenous flames leaped from every corner of the house. They were coming from her window, the kitchen windows, and . . . her parents' bedroom window.

"MOMMY," she screamed. "DADDY!" There was no reply. The tears spilled over, drenching her face. They had to be okay . . . they'd promised that they would be right behind her! Brooke tore her hand from Kelly's grasp and ran towards the house.

"Brooke! Get back here! It's too dangerous!" Brooke ignored her. She had to find her parents . . . had to find Cassie and Calder . . . they might need her. She had to find them. As she ran past the trucks, a strong hand gripped her arm.

"Hold on, little girl," a gentle voice said to her. She turned, trying to fight the strength of a woman dressed in green robes. Her jade green eyes were pitying, but Brooke didn't want pity.

"Let me go! I have to find my mommy and daddy," she screamed.

"It's too dangerous, Brooke. The Pyromancers are getting them out right now, and you would just get in the way." The woman looked up as someone called to her, and she nodded. "Brooke, I want you to sit inside the truck, and don't move until I come back, okay?" Seizing the opportunity, she nodded and climbed into the truck. The woman rushed away, and as soon as she was gone, Brooke jumped back out of the truck. She ran around the line of vehicles and up to her house. She hid behind a bush as several people walked past, staggering under the weight of a stretcher. On it was a person that looked like her father, but with a big mask on his face.

"Mommy's still inside. So are Cassie and Calder," she whispered to herself. She waited until the way was clear, and she ran into the burning house.

_**A/N:** How was it? Please review; I like to know how I'm doing with my writing._


	2. Chapter 2: Into the Fire

_**A/N:** I tried to write this quickly, since I left chapter one at a cliffhanger. Please, bear with me if it's not wonderful._

_**Disclaimer:** No flames allowed . . . oh, wait. That's not the disclaimer! Firestorm doestn't own Lord of the . . . Hold on, hold on. My brain must be messed up from all the typing I've done today. :) Alexandra, why don't you do the disclaimer? Your author's brain isn't working._

_**Alexandra:** Fine. Firestorm doesn't own Wizard101. Any and all people, places and things belong to KingsIsle, with the exception of her O.C.'s and her ideas. Happy now?_

_**Firestorm:** Very. :)_

**_Thanks to my beta reader, Dylexia! :)_**

Brooke coughed hard, swatting aside the smoke and dust. Where would her mother be? Where would Calder and Cassie be?_ Probably in their bedrooms._ She dropped to the ground and started crawling, taking deep, gasping breaths of whatever fresh air was left. Through the living room, turn left, down the hallway, hit the stairs. Easy. Getting to the stairs would be step one. She crawled, each movement a strain on her exhausted, smoke filled body, each breath taking more energy than it provided for her. Brooke raised her head feebly, trying to see where she was. Luckily, she was almost to the hallway, where she would have to turn. Three more pulls . . . two more . . . one more . . . there. Now she could rest . . . _NO!_ _No resting, Brooke! You have to find Mommy!_ Brooke slowly turned on her stomach, and then began inching forwards painstakingly. _Come on. Count the pulls it takes._ _One. Two. Three._ She paused for a second, wheezing, and then continued. _Four. Five. Six. Had to find Mommy . . . Nine. Ten. Eleven._ _Twelve._ At pull thirteen, she hit the stairs headfirst, and the blow made stars ringed her already blurry vision. She spared herself a short rest. _Count to ten, Brooke. After ten, you have to go up. One. Two. Three. Four . . . five . . six . . . want to sleep . . . seven . . . eight . . . going to sleep . . . nine . . . **WAKE UP!**_ She jerked her head up. Sleeping wouldn't help anyone. She had to get up the stairs, and then she could figure out where to go. She began climbing on her stomach. There were twenty steps to the second floor. Twenty. Each step was harder and harder, more smoke pouring into her lungs with each breath. Brooke coughed harder. Her eyes burned, her throat burned, everything was so hot . . . why? Why did the Dragons have to do this to her?

"Mommy," she tried to call, but all that came out was a painful rasping sound. She shook her head and kept climbing, counting each step. Almost there . . . only two steps to go . . . one step to go . . . she reached up for the next step, and all she felt was floor, lovely, flat floor. In spite of the pain and the heat, Brooke smiled. _Almost there,_ _Mommy._ The next step would be to get to her mother's room, or to Calder and Cassie's. The smoke was muddling her thoughts, but she remembered where the rooms were. Calder and Cassie slept in the first room. She would help them first. It wasn't far to their room, only about eight steps. That would be . . . about ten crawls? Maybe 11. She decided to count again. It didn't take long for her to give up. Counting took too much effort. She decided that she would never count again.

Nearly a full moment later, when Brooke raised her head a fraction of an inch, she could see her siblings' door right in front of her. Her nose was almost bumping into it. With extreme difficulty, she hauled herself upwards, using the wall to support herself. The dizziness and nausea that overtook her in waves was overpowering, and she retched. Slowly, painstakingly, she turned the doorknob, and she collapsed on the ground as the door swung open. She heard a soft moan, and there was a raspy cough from the other side of the room. She dragged herself forwards. She could see and arm hanging down from one of the beds, and she headed for it. After pulling herself up onto the bed, she tried to focus on the person in the bed. It was Calder. He moaned again, his eyes bleary and unfocused.

"Brooky . . ." he whispered.

"Calder, you have to come with me. I can *cough* get you outside." He didn't move. "Calder!"

"Brooky-go. You be safe. Too-COUGH late. Go be safe," the boy wheezed, smoke spilling from his mouth.

"No, Calder! Come with me! We'll all be safe, you and me and Mommy and Daddy and Cassie!" Calder didn't respond. "Come on, Calder! You can do it! Just get on the floor with me, and I'll bring you outside!" Frantically, Brooke pulled on her brother's arm. He didn't move. She put a hand over his mouth and nose. No breath tickled her palm. "Calder," she sobbed, hugging the four year old's arm. She never wanted to leave. She wanted to curl up and die with Calder, but she couldn't leave Cassie. Cassie was near the window; maybe she'd gotten some more air, and she'd be easier to get out of the house. Brooke glanced at Calder's pale face once more, kissed him on the cheek, and turned away.

Seeing the death of her brother had taken a huge toll on her, and she was practically falling asleep where she crouched on the floor. She had to help Cassie before she could sleep, though. It was excruciatingly slow going, but she made it across the room in a minute and a half. Brooke knelt beside Cassie's bed in the same way she'd knelt by Calder's. Her sister's eyes were closed, but she was breathing, taking in harsh, rattling gasps of air. Her face was turned towards the slightly open window. Brooke climbed onto her sister's bed and pushed the window open slowly.

"Cassie! Wake up! I'm going to get you outside, okay? The Theurgists will help you." Her words did little to help the four year old, who seemed to have given up. "Cassie, I won't let you die on me, too! Come on! Wake up!" Slowly, the girl's eyes worked their way open, blinking in confusion.

"Brooky? Are you an angel? Did you come to bring me to the Tritons?"

"No, Cassie! You're still alive! I have to get you outside, and then the Theurgists will help you!"

"Where's Calder? Where's Mommy and Daddy?" Brooke knew better than to tell her sister something so awful, so she lied.

"They're outside. Go on, climb onto the roof. When you can, scream really, really loud, okay? One of the Theurgists is waiting to hear you, and when they do, they'll get you down. Don't forget to scream, 'I'm on the roof!' Got it?" Cascade nodded, sitting up slowly. She crawled slowly out the window and knelt there, taking deep breaths of air and coughing out smoke. Brooke allowed herself two breaths before crawling back out of the room. The only one left to find was Mommy. _Find Mommy, and you can get out of the house,_ she thought. She winced as she heard a scream. It must have been Cassie, screaming to the Theurgists like she'd been told. When there was no second scream, Brooke assumed that she'd already been spotted. _Good. One person was helped._ Now she just had to help her mother. She crawled down the hallway, pausing every now and then to breathe. For some reason, the air seemed to be getting hotter and hotter. Why was that, she wondered. She got her answer a second later: the flames were in between her and her mother's bedroom door.

Brooke stared at the flames in dismay and horror. The bright orange and gold tendrils were hungrily devouring the soft carpet and the pretty blue wallpaper. She swallowed her fears, pushed aside her pain, and whispered,

"Mommy, I will find you, no matter what it takes!" She took one last deep gulp of air, held her breath, and stood. She squinted against the fire, pinpointed the door, and ran straight into the flames.

**_CRACK!_**

The floor collapsed when she was inches from the doorknob. Brooke threw carefulness to the wind and screamed. She howled as loud as she could, not caring how much smoke was entering her lungs. Her brother was dead, her parents might be dead, her house was burning to the ground, her lungs were full of smoke, and she was on fire, literally. The flames were now attached to her pajamas, her hair, her skin, everything they could reach. They were working their way through her, bit by bit. The fire would kill her. She knew it then, as she smashed into the ground, searing, burning pain attacking her entire body. Her eyes stung and she couldn't breathe. There were dozens of splinters driven into her body and clothes, both of which were burning. Brooke started to sob. She was dying; at least Cassie and her father had escaped. She would get to see Calder again. She would . . . she would . . . she would . . .

As the darkness and pain and exhaustion overcame her mind, smashing through her defenses like a rock through water, she screamed out two words:

**"I'M SORRY!"**

_**A/N:** I am so very, very evil. Yet another cliffhanger. Just as a note, pictures of Brooke, Calder, Cascade and thier parents will be on my picture website at some point soon. The link is on my profile, if you're interested._


	3. Chapter 3: Permanent Scars

_**A/N: **__This was yet another rushed chapter, but not because of the cliffhanger. This time, it was because I will be at my grandma's house all day tomorrow, and I'll be at my aunt's from Friday to Sunday, so I won't be able to type. Have a happy Thanksgiving! :)_

_**Disclaimer:**__ *Is too busy eating turkey to do the disclaimer* Wait a second, I don't even LIKE turkey! That's odd . . . _

_**Thanks to my beta reader, Dylexia! :)**_

_"Brooke! Get out of here! It's dangerous!" _

_"I won't leave you, Mommy!"_

_"Brooky, it's-COUGH-too late! Go be safe!"_

_"Calder! Don't leave me!"_

_"Are Mommy and Daddy and Calder okay, Brooky?"_

_"Yes, now run, Cassie! There's not much time left!"_

_"Be careful, Brooke!"_

_"NOOOOOO!"_

Brooke's right eye flew open in shock, and her breathing was rapid and nervous. She could feel her heart pounding, and a numb, tingly feeling had spread itself over her entire body. Her left eye wouldn't open, and she could feel something on it, almost like a pad of cotton. Slowly, she tried to push herself into a sitting position, but a jolt of pain blazed up her spine, and she squeaked in pain, flopping back down on the bed.

"OWOWOW," she cried, feeling tears begin to form.

"Shh, Brooke, everything's okay. You're going to be fine." The voice was quiet and soothing, but she didn't recognize it. Not her mother, not her father, not Calder or Cassie . . . where was she, then? Maybe she'd spent the night at Kelly's house, and that was Mrs. Blueblossom? That didn't explain the pain, though, or the thing on her eye. She felt a prick in her arm, and the pain dissolved. Brooke turned her head slightly. She wasn't in Kelly's house. The voice did not belong to Kelly. She was in a clean white room, with a T.V. in the corner, a battered, ugly green chair, and a plain white bed with white sheets. Too much white. In the chair was a woman dressed all in green: green robes, green boots, green hood over green hair and green eyes.

"Where am I," Brooke asked drowsily. The woman smiled sadly.

"You're in the Theurgist Department, sweetie. I'm Betsy, your Theurgist." Theurgist Department? Why was she in the Theurgist Department?

"What happened, anyways?" At the question, Betsy's smile disappeared, being replaced by a small frown.

"There was a fire in your house, Brooke. We got your mother and father out okay, for the most part, and the Pyromancers were going back inside for your brother and sister when we heard a cracking noise. The entire floor collapsed, and when we dug through the rubble, we found you, unconscious and burned very, very badly. You were injured severely in the accident. Your sister's body was found just outside the house. She's still alive, but after a six-foot fall, headfirst, she's still asleep. Your brother . . . they found his body inside the house. He's dead Brooke." Calder? Dead? It couldn't be; just a few days ago, he'd been laughing and playing in the kiddie pool, splashing her and making a mess. He'd been throwing a tantrum about taking a nap. He'd been-and then it hit her like a freight train. Memories of the awful fire came flooding back. Brooke began to cry.

"I couldn't save him . . . I couldn't save Calder. When I got there, he was coughing and looked really sick, and he told me to get out, that it was too late, that I should be safe. He died coughing. I couldn't save him . . ." Betsy looked at her pityingly.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. You're the first one to wake up. Just think: pretty soon, you'll be able to go see your parents, and you can be there when they wake up. The same with your sister."

"Are they okay? Are Mommy and Daddy and Cassie okay?"

"Yes, but they're still sleeping."

"Why is there something on my eye?" Up until that point, Betsy had willingly, if not gladly, answered her questions, but at that one, she paused.

"Well, Brooke, as I said, you were burned very badly in the fire . . . and your eye was one of the worst. The patch is supposed to come off today, so I can check on it. Do you want to do that now?" Brooke nodded. Slowly, the Theurgist moved closer, reached out, and gently lifted the sticky patch from her eye. She gasped in alarm upon seeing the young girl's face.

The burn over Brooke's left eye was almost monstrous. The angry reddish-maroon spot covered her entire eye, inching around her face to her ear. It went under her scorched black bangs and halfway down her cheekbone, extending to the right almost to her nose. It would never go away.

"Can I see it," Brooke asked expectantly.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, sweetie. It's pretty bad . . ."

"I want to see." She was stubbornly insistent on seeing her new scar, which would last the rest of her life. Slowly, Betsy handed her a mirror, and the eight year old stared at her reflection. She screamed and threw down the glass, covering her face with her hands. "That's not me! I-I'm a monster!"

"Oh, sweetie, it's not that awful!"

"It IS! I look like a monster!" Brooke DID strongly resemble the Phantom of the Opera, but the burn was that much worse, scarring a little girl's face. She would be seen by other children, called a monster by other children, left out from the games, outcasted from society as a teenager, and avoided as an adult. The horrific burn was one of many, but it was the most visible.

"You're not a monster, Brooke! It's only one burn!"

"But there are more, aren't there?" Betsy was silent. "AREN'T THERE?" The Theurgist nodded slowly.

"Where?"

"There's one on your neck, one on your back, and one on your left leg," she replied softly. Brooke started to cry.

"Why did the dragons have to do this? Why did they have to punish me and my mommy and daddy and Cassie?"

"I don't know, Brooke. I don't know."

_**-THREE YEARS LATER-**_

Brooke stared at her reflection in the mirror. _Still a monster,_ she thought, trying to brush her bangs over the burn. She hadn't cut her hair once in three years, trying to use it as a way to hide her hideous scar. It only worked partway; half of the burn was still uncovered.

"Mom, can I get use one of my masks for my test?" She'd been given several masks by the Theurgist Department, for use only when her burn was hurting. They were special masks, more like patches, really, but they hid the scar.

"Is your burn hurting," came the reply.

"No, but . . ."

"Then no. You need to save those, Brooke. We only have so many."

"Okay," she sighed in defeat, brushing her bangs over as far as she could. Dejectedly, she slipped her feet into her blue flip-flops and pulled her door open. She heard a squeaking noise and turned to the left. Sure enough, Cassie was slowly making her way towards her sister, pulling herself forwards in a wheelchair. The fall had taken a terrible toll on the seven year old; her paralyzed legs had condemned her to a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

"Hi, Brooke," the young girl said, smiling cheerfully. Brooke always wondered how her sister stayed so cheerful when she could never walk again. There was always a smile on her face, her hands always willing to help, her words cheering and motivating.

"Hey, Cassie. How are you today?"

"I'm great! How are you?" The answer was always the same: great. She'd never heard Cassie complain, never heard her cry or yell.

"Pretty good. I'm excited to go to Ravenwood; are you and Mom and Dad coming?" She nodded in excitement.

"I want to ask the Headmaster if I can still join Ravenwood, even if I'm in a wheelchair."

"I don't see why he'd say no. It's not like Ravenwood is a school for wrestling or anything." Cassie laughed at the joke. The seven year old followed Brooke to the kitchen, where four bowls and four spoons were stacked, two gallons of milk (skim and 2%) were arranged, and three boxes of cereal were lined up. The two girls each took their spaces, one next to Terrence, one next to Azura. As usual, their father looked thin and sad. As usual, their mother seemed nervous and scared. There was no such thing as hot food in the Swiftriver household. There was no heat in the winter, so it was lucky that Triton Avenue was only wet and cool, never freezing cold and snowy. Any form of heat was a constant paranoia for the Swiftrivers. Heat could mean fire, and fire had torn their lives to pieces. _It seems we all have scars, even if people can't see them,_ Brooke observed, pouring herself a bowl of Cheeri-o's and 2% milk. _Some of our scars will heal with time, but others will stay with us forever, plague us forever. Calder would be seven tomorrow. I hope he's happy with the Tritons. I hope the dragons are satisfied. They stole my brother from me. They stole Cassie's legs. They stole my face. I hate them._


	4. Chapter 4: The Headmaster

_**A/N: **__Well, my original plan was to finish this story by April, since it's supposed to be short … but seeing how it's already April and I'm only on chapter five, I can make a safe guess that it won't be done in April. Very sorry about the lack of updates; I'm trying to do better now, but with Ultimate… things will be interesting. I will try to have another chapter up by the end of the month, at the latest. :)_

_Thanks to all my reviewers! :) You guys are awesome and deserve doughnuts . . . unless you don't like doughnuts, in which case you get to pick your virtual food. xD_

_**Many thanks to Dylexia, my beta reader! :) **_

_**Disclaimer:**__ No hablo Ingles. Leer renuncias pasadas, por favor. ;) Oreos to whoever can tell me what that means and Smarties if you know the language. _

Brooke hid closely behind her mother, ducking her head away whenever someone looked at her. Cassie was wheeling herself along as quickly as she could, trying to keep up, and yet she was still slower than her parents and sister.

"Hey, what the heck is wrong with _you?_ Why are you in a wheelchair? Were you born deformed or something?" The loud, mocking voice tore the air. It was obviously Cassie that they were making fun of. She turned slowly, being careful to keep her scar hidden with her hand. There were three boys laughing at Cassie. They were dressed in yellow and dark blue robes, and one of them was receiving high-fives from the other two. His head was covered in a gold hood, but she could see his haughty, pale blue eyes and rude smirk. She felt the rage of a thousand Tritons boiling in her blood, and she stormed over to the boys, removed her hand from her face, revealing the bright red scar, and gave them a piece of her mind.

"Who do you think you are, insulting a seven year old girl? Don't EVER insult someone until you know EXACTLY what they've been through, jerk! You don't know HALF of what my sister has been through!" She could see his eyes widen in shock and disgust upon seeing her scar; he probably hadn't even heard a word she said.

"You need to lighten up," one of the other boys said. "It was just a joke!"

"I DON'T CARE IF IT WAS A JOKE OR NOT! YOU INSULTED MY SISTER, AND I WON'T JUST SIT THERE AND LET YOU DO IT! Why don't you try living in a wheelchair for three years, see how you like it! Maybe then you'll have some respect for those who deserve it!" Brooke screamed. She knew that she was making a scene, and that her parents were staring at her in shock. All she cared about was Cassie's grateful smile, and the tear slowly sliding down her cheek. They'd hurt her. No one hurt Cascade Swiftriver while SHE was around. Slowly, the two boys backed away, leaving the one who'd insulted Cassie to fend for himself.

"What would YOU know about anything? You're not even a Novice, and I doubt they'll even let a monster like YOU in." The boy turned and ran after his friends, and Brooke could feel tears of her own forming. They were less hesitant to fall, and a moment later, her cheeks were damp. She scrubbed at her eyes with her sleeve.

"Come here, Brooke," Azura whispered, pulling her elder daughter close for a hug. "That was silly, Brooke. Those boys were apprentices already; they could have easily hurt you very badly."

"I don't care. They hurt Cassie." Defeated immediately, Azura sighed.

"You're right. They did. Just… try and be a little more careful next time, okay?" Brooke nodded.

"I will." The four of them made their way through the crowds and towards the Headmaster's office. They passed a girl in green that was arguing with two older boys, another girl who was wearing all black and hugging a tall, scary looking man, and a shy girl dressed in blue and gold. She stood alone under a tree, looking around cautiously. Suddenly, Brooke came face-to-face with a boy dressed in gold and red. He grinned.

"Hi, I'm Evan. What's your name?" Startled, Brooke cowered behind her mother, holding her left hand over her scar. Azura gave her a gentle push forwards, and she hesitantly spoke.

"I-I'm Brooke."

"Nice to meet you. How come you're holding your face like that?" Of course. The scar always came up.

"You promise not to get scared or freak out?" He nodded, and so Brooke slowly removed her hand, averting her gaze from his light brown eyes.

"Oh. That stinks. Burn?" She was stunned. Most people would recoil in horror at the sight of her scar; this boy hadn't even flinched. He seemed amused by her obvious shock. "I come from Dragonspyre; burns are pretty common there. My little siblings, Lionel and Aislin, have gotten enough of them in their lifetimes." There was a shout from behind them, and Evan turned. "Oh! I gotta go. See you later?" She nodded shyly.

"Bye."

"See ya." He turned and ran in the opposite direction. Cassie smiled as she wheeled up to her furiously blushing sister.

"You like him."

"I do not," Brooke protested.

"Yes, you do. I can see it in your eye." Blushing even redder, Brooke turned away from her sister, who was giggling.

_**15 MINUTES LATER**_

After waiting in line for a while, she was called into the Headmaster's Office.

"Mom, can I go with her to talk to the Headmaster?" Cassie asked.

"Well …"

"Come on, Cassie. It will be fine, Mom."

"If you're sure …" Azura replied hesitantly. Cassie's face lit up with a smile, and she hurriedly wheeled herself after Brooke.

The two girls stared in awe at the office. It was small, certainly, and very cluttered. Books were spilling off of the shelves, and stacks over three feet high were scattered around the room. There was a kind of elegance about the dusty place, though, and Brooke was certain that it must have been a very fine room once. In front of the two girls was a massive book on a pedestal, a small wooden chair, and a desk. Behind the desk sat an elderly man dressed in royal blue. He held a tall wooden staff, and there was a monocle in his left eye.

"Hello, Brooke Swiftriver," the man said. His voice was gentle and kindly, like that of a grandfather. "Welcome to my office. I am Headmaster Ambrose."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Brooke said softly, unconsciously removing her hand from her scar. "This is my sister Cascade, Headmaster. She wanted to ask you a question before I pick my school."

"Ask me as many questions as you would like, young Cascade." He peered over his desk at her.

"Headmaster, will I still be allowed to enter Ravenwood, even though I'm in a wheelchair?" She sounded hesitant, like she was scared to hear the answer.

"Of course, my dear! Magic isn't about how well you can run or jump. Look at me, for instance! I am a very old man, Cascade, and yet I am a very powerful wizard. If you have the willpower and the dedication, you will be permitted into our school." He smiled at her.

"Thank you so much, sir!" Cassie laughed.

"Of course, my dear. Now, if you would, please return outside. The school testing must be done in private."

"Yes, sir." Cassie turned her wheelchair around and wheeled herself outside.

"Your sister will be very powerful someday," Ambrose observed. "What she lacks in physical strength is made up tenfold within her." Brooke smiled.

"I'm glad to hear that, sir. She's always so optimistic, but I know that she misses her ability to walk. Maybe she'll be completely happy again once she joins Ravenwood."

"I certainly hope so, young Brooke. Please, take a seat. I've opened the book to your page. Just answer each question truthfully, with no bias, and tell me when you've received your answer." She did as he'd told her, having a strangely easy time reading the questions and answers. As soon as she'd written in the final answer, all the questions disappeared, leaving two sentences: Congratulations, Brooke Swiftriver. You are a novice Diviner, a student of the school of Storm.

"I'm a Diviner?" Brooke whispered, tasting the word for the first time.

"Yes, my dear." The Headmaster smiled warmly at me.

"I'm in my mom and dad's school." She grinned.

"Ah, Azura and Terrence. Yes, I remember those two well. Such happy Diviners, always laughing and spreading happiness. They were so willing to help others."

"You knew my parents when they were in Ravenwood?"

"Of course, Brooke. Oh, I almost forgot! You'll need your novice robes and a wand, and then you may return to your parents." He waved his wand over me, and my clothes changed into a long sleeved, light purple robe with green lining. On my feet were a pair of high boots in the same colors, and there was a tall, pointed hat on my head. The Headmaster placed something in my hands, a magenta wand with a gold star on the end.

"Thank you, sir," Brooke said to him as she turned to leave.

"Good luck in your studies, young Brooke. I hope to see you again soon." Brooke couldn't get the image of that kind, kind face out of her mind the rest of the day.


	5. Chapter 5: Best Friends

_**A/N: **__Erm … yeah, about that … whole … updating … thing …_

_Lo siento. I had Ultimate Frisbee practice, which made things slightly stickier than I had originally hoped. It just ended two weeks ago (T_T) so I'm free for another week or two before I go off to camp. _

_**Thanks to my beta reader, Dylexia! :D**_

ONE WEEK LATER

Brooke loved every aspect of Divination: the cheerful energy of the classroom and her fellow students, her energetic frog teacher, the damp classroom brought to life with flickering lightening and a gentle rain… it was a dream come true. For her secondary school, she'd chosen Ice, which wasn't quite as fun as Storm, but she loved the chilly school and the kindly Professor Greyrose. The actual magic was difficult to learn, but she had an easier time of it than some of the other students did. Everything was going perfectly-and then she was summoned to the Headmaster's Office.

She sat nervously in the too-big red chair, fiddling with her sleeves and staring at the floor. Five minutes ticked by, and then ten. Finally, the Headmaster stepped inside from his Spiral Chamber.

"Oh! Hello, young Brooke. I'm sorry; I didn't expect you to come so promptly." She just smiled shakily and nodded.

"I'm … not in trouble, am I?" She finally asked timidly.

"Good heavens, no! Of course not!" Ambrose laughed. "Quite the opposite, my dear. I've been hearing nothing but good things from your professors. You're one of their hardest workers, and so dedicated." She breathed a sigh of relief. "In fact, I've decided to reward you for your hard work."

"Really?"

"Indeed. I would like you to become a student guide for one of our late-arrival students."

"A guide?" The Headmaster nodded.

"Yes. Usually, this privilege is reserved for my initiates and journeymen, but at the rate you're working, that won't be too far off, hmm?" Brooke smiled.

"Thank you, Headmaster."

"Now, the girl you'll be guiding is a novice Pyromancer. She joined a week late because she was in the hospital, since she was recently burned very badly. She has a limp now, and not one that will likely go away, so please try not to mention it to her."

"She was _burned?_ And now she's in _Fire?_ Oh, my gosh, that's awful!" Brooke gasped. "She must feel terrible…"

"Erm … surprisingly not. Donna's a very cheerful, optimistic young girl, and she loves Pyromancy, from what she's experienced of it. Also, Brooke … there's one thing I forgot to mention."

"What is that, Headmaster?"

"Well … you'll have to switch classes so you two can be together all day." There it was. The bomb had dropped.

"I … what? Wait … I have to be in … the School of FIRE?"

"Only as a secondary school," he reassured her quickly. "You don't have to become a Pyromancer. The good news is that she's chosen Storm as her secondary school." Brooke didn't hear his words past that; she was staring at the floor, breathing hard, almost choking on the air. Fire. The School of Fire? She was expected to join the _School _of _Fire?_ No. There was no way. She'd tell the Headmaster she couldn't do it, that she was already too deep in her Thaumaturgy, that she didn't have time to guide some evil Pyrom-

"Hi, Headmaster Ambrose! You called me, right? I saw the prettiest butterfly today! It was HUGE! It had really pretty silver and purple wings, and it landed right on my hand!" She turned. The source of the cheery, chatty voice was a small girl dressed in red novice robes. She held a dark reddish crutch with her right hand, and was relying heavily on it as she limped towards the desk. Brooke could see that the girl's right boot was a bit larger than it perhaps should be, and there was some kind of bulge under it … a brace, maybe? That would explain why the boot was too big … The Headmaster smiled warmly at the girl.

"Good morning, Donna." Donna? THIS was the girl she was supposed to guide? Donna smiled cheerfully and waved with her free hand. She noticed Brooke, and waved to her, too.

"Hi! I'm Donna Dragonflame! What's your name? Are you in the School of Storm? I'm a Pyromancer! I love the School of Fire; Professor Firesong is really nice! Hey, do you like butterflies? I love them; they're my favorite thing in the whole world! Except blue ones, anyways … those ones are mean and scary. One of them spit fire at me and burned my leg. That's why I was late coming here. Today's my first day here! Is it your first day, too? Is that why you're in Headmaster Ambrose's office?" Brooke stared at Donna in amazement, surprised that anyone could talk for such a long time about so many random topics. Ambrose laughed when he saw her expression.

"Donna's always like this; don't mind her too much. Donna, this is Brooke Swiftriver. She's going to be your guide. You two will have the same classes, and she'll show you around Ravenwood. She joined at the start of the year, so she's already had some time to adjust to the school."

"Oh! Nice to meet you, Brooke!" She started to extend her left hand, but then hesitated. She then propped her crutch up against a chair and held out her right hand. Slowly, the Diviner shook Donna's hand.

"Nice to meet you, too, Donna."

"I'm sure the two of you will be good friends," Headmaster Ambrose said, smiling.

"That's a good idea! We should be best friends! I don't have a best friend yet. Do you, Brooke?" Slowly, she shook her head. No one had wanted to be friends with "Monster Girl."

"My scar scares people … they don't like me very much."

"What scar?" Hesitantly, Brooke turned so Donna could see her scar. "Oh … did you get a burn? That's kinda what my leg looks like, only a little different since mine's newer than yours … I think … is it?"

"Yeah … I got this four years ago."

"Oh! I got burned by the nasty boys a week and a half ago; I've been in the hospital since then." Donna made a face, and Brooke couldn't help but laugh. "So, it's settled then! We're best friends."

"Best friends." The Diviner smiled. She had a best friend.

_**A/N: **__I can't seem to remember whether Donna's injury was on her left side or her right side, so if I got it wrong, I apologize. _


	6. Chapter 6: Tour de Ravenwood

_**A/N: **__Before you maim me brutally for the lack of updating, I can promise that updates will come faster from now on; I've got a planner with specific dates everything has to be up by and EVERYTHING. xD I feel so organized! It's like I'm … a … a … responsible person, or something! :O _

_**Muchos gracias a la beta de "Tempestad Fuego: Cuento del Rio Rapido": Dylexia! Tu eres muy fantastica, chica! :D (Dang Spanish class … that teacher even makes us THINK in Spanish! XD)**_

_**Disclaimer: Wizard101 no es mio. Yo tengo los O.C.'s, por no Wizard101. **_

"… and _that _is the school of Life. It's the last one in the circle," Brooke told Donna, pointing towards the green and grey-stone school.

"They're all so beautiful!" Donna exclaimed, staring up at the Theurgy School. Had it been a manga comic, Brooke mused, Donna's eyes would have been enormous and sparkling, with the little stars instead of pupils. The Diviner chuckled as she pictured Donna as a manga character.

"Just so you know, Pyromancy starts next period," Brooke began nervously. "Um, do you want to go find your dorm room before we go there? There's about five or ten minutes until the bell."

"Sure! Do I have a roommate? What do the dorms look like? Do you know what floor I'll be on?" Donna rambled, skipping towards the Girls' Dorm Tower.

"Hold on, Donna! First, we have to go talk to Simeon; he'll tell us where your room is. Also, people only have roommates some of the time; you might have a roommate because of your leg …" Brooke trailed off as she realized that Donna was giving her a strange look.

"My leg? Oh, you mean because I have a disability." She giggled. "I'm not disabled by it; I won't need help, but if I have a roommate, I'm sure we'll be best friends ever." A small smile graced the Diviner's lips. _Best friends …_

Simeon was flipping through an enormous book and chattering away to a tall boy dressed in purple when the two girls approached.

"…And that's our system of organization! Will that be any good for your article?" The peppy adept Pyromancer asked the boy.

"Yeah, I can use this. Thanks a lot, Simeon." He grinned.

"No problem, Boris! Come by any time if you have more questions!" The tall boy waved before disappearing in a cloud of purple sparks.

"Who was that?" Donna whispered to Brooke.

"Boris Tallstaff, I think. He's a grandmaster Diviner." Brooke's voice became admiring as she spoke of him. "He was the top of his class and could have become the head researcher and experimenter of the Nature Protection Society, but he turned down the position because of his love for writing."

Simeon finally noticed them and grinned. "Well, hello there! I'm Simeon; who are you?" The two girls took a few steps closer before introducing themselves.

"I'm Brooke Swiftiver, and this is Donna Dragonflame. We … uh … we need to know where her dorm room is." The Diviner covered her scar with her hand, embarrassed. She jumped, startled, when another, smaller hand touched hers and gently pulled it away from her scar. Donna grinned at her and tapped her crutch on the ground. Brooke interpreted the message easily enough.

_Don't worry about covering your scar; mine's more obvious, and no one will make fun of us if we're together. _

She nodded to the novice, just the barest of nods, to acknowledge that she understood.

"Donna Dragonflame, huh? I'll check the book." Brooke could hear the change in Simeon's tone of voice when he saw her scar; the older boy was disgusted by it, she just knew it for sure. He paused as he found the correct page and ran a finger down it, looking for Donna's name. "Oh, here it is. You're in room 782."

782? That was Brooke's room … "You have a roommate, it seems. Her name is Brooke Swiftriver. Oh!" He realized the connection. "Hey, it looks like you two already know each other! That's convenient; no awkward introductions, then, right?" He chuckled nervously, and then cleared his throat before falling silence again.

"Thanks, Simeon!" Donna exclaimed, waving before skipping towards the Girl's Dorm Tower. Brooke followed a bit slower. "Isn't this awesome, Brooke? You're my guide, we're best friends, AND we're roommates! And we're in the same classes and everything! This school is awesome!" Brooke could barely hide her smile; the young Pyromancer's enthusiasm was catching, it seemed.

"You'll need a bed and a dresser to use; I'll have to request those from Aubert Quickhammer. Want to come with me after Pyromancy is over?" She shuddered involuntarily at the thought of Fire class.

"Sure! That sounds like fun! Who's Aubert Quickhammer? Are we going to his house? Where does he live? Is he a student? What school is he?"

"Whoa! Hold on a second! One question at a time!" Brooke tried to remember all of the questions as the two girls stepped inside the Dorm Tower and headed for Portal Stone Seven. "Aubert Quickhammer is the furniture shopkeeper. He also supplies the dorm room furniture. The shop that he and Buxley Turtleton share is in the Shopping District, right by Elik's Edge. I think that he used to go to Ravenwood, a long time ago, but he dropped out when he was a journeyman, I think. I'm pretty sure he was Myth."

The Diviner took Donna's hand as the two girls stepped onto the Portal Stone, preparing herself for the strange flip as they were transported to the seventh floor. Donna staggered off the Stone comically, wobbling around as she toppled towards the wall, stopping herself with her hand just in time. Brooke giggled.

"That was so weird!"

"Yeah, but you'll get used to it eventually," the Diviner reassured her roommate. "I nearly got sick the first time I used a Portal Stone. Now, come on! The rooms are arranged in a big circle; even numbers are on the outside edge, and odd numbers are on the inside. We go left, since the numbers start at 701 and 702 to the right." She led the Pyromancer through the curved hallway, pausing in front of a large purple door. "Here it is."

Donna didn't hesitate; she pushed the door open and eagerly stepped inside, with Brooke right behind her.

"It's pretty in here! The windows make it so sunny! Hey, look! There's the Storm School!" She excitedly pointed out the window. Brooke couldn't help but smile this time. Donna might have been a little different, but she was a welcome addition to the Diviner's gloomy dorm. Everything was perfect, with the exception of one small detail: Pyromancy Class.

_**A/N: **__As you can probably guess, next chapter will be Brooke and Donna's first Pyromancy lesson. After that's over, I'll probably be moving into the age seventeen portion of the story. _


	7. Chapter 7: Pyromancer

_**A/N:**__ Thanks to scarletfireblaze for the review. :)_

The Fire School loomed ahead like a dark mountain. Brooke couldn't help the shudder that passed through her as the two girls approached it, and she unconsciously reached up and touched her scar. The scent of burning reached her nose, and a bit of ashes fell by her eyes like snow. Donna seemed perfectly at ease; she laughed and caught some ash on her hand, and then threw it again. She sniffed the air and smiled happily. She shivered in delight as the air grew warmer.

"This … it doesn't remind you of … you know, your leg at all?" Brooke whispered.

"Nope! I know that it wasn't the fire's fault. It was the boys' fault! I don't have to blame the fire when a fire can't start itself!" She laughed. Brooke tried to see the truth in her best friend's words. _The fire didn't choose to hurt me … the fire didn't choose to hurt me … the fire didn't choose to hurt me …_ she wasn't comforted much.

Outside of the School, students dressed in red and orange were gathered, chatting to one another. Brooke felt sick; it looked like they were a mob, ready and anxious to attack her and finish what the fire had started.

A tall, dark haired man in long, gold robes and a hood was overseeing the group from the doorway. As Donna and Brooke approached, he glanced towards them.

"Hello, Donna. Is this your guide?" He asked them. Brooke noticed that he had a thick accent much like Evan's.

"Hi, Professor Firesong! This is my best friend AND guide, Brooke Swiftriver! She's joining Pyromancy with me! Brooke, this is Professor Firesong!"

"I see," the man said slowly, giving Brooke a long stare. Finally, he nodded in satisfaction. "I have heard from the Headmaster about your decision to switch from Thaumaturgy, Miss Swiftriver. You will need to work hard in this class in order to catch up; if you could, please come during one of your free periods, and I will help you."

"We both have fifth period free! Do you want us to come then?" Donna asked, staring up at the professor in excitement. He nodded.

"I will have a class of Masters then, but I am sure that I will be able to help you in between teaching them. Students inside, please!" He clapped his hands, and then nodded to the two girls before stepping inside the Fire School.

Donna followed as quickly as her crutch allowed, and Brooke slowly entered behind her friend.

The room felt like it was at boiling temperature, and the Diviner found herself sweating furiously inside her long sleeved robes and tall boots. She took off her hat and began to fan herself with it. Donna, however, seemed perfectly at ease; maybe Pyromancer robes came with air conditioning devices.

The room was enormous and circular, decorated elegantly with silky crimson drapes and a scarlet and gold rug. On the wall hung two red shields emblazoned with the fiery orange Pyromancy symbol, and above each hung an estoc with a golden blade and a ruby set in the pommel. A dark redwood sign below proclaimed _Ignis Regalis, Combustio vera in Eternum. _It sounded proud and elegant, but Brooke only became more afraid as she read it. What did the strange, lyrical words mean? Was it something about burning? Would all non-Pyromancers be killed if they stayed there for too long?

The novice Pyromancer picked a seat right in the front, and she carefully propped her crutch up against the desk, smiling and motioning for Brooke to sit next to her. The Diviner gingerly sat down, cautiously setting her books on the red wooden desk.

The other students slowly filed into the room, deliberately and carefully avoiding the two "deformed" girls- all except for Evan, that is. The boy Pyromancer took the seat next to Brooke and grinned, giving her a small wave. She smiled back slightly, although her nerves weren't calmed in the slightest.

"Attention, please. Attention!" The Professor tapped his wand on the podium in front of him to gain the class' attention. "First off, I would like to welcome two new students to our class. Donna Dragonflame is our newest Pyromancer, and Brooke Swiftriver, a Diviner who has chosen Fire as her secondary school." The applause was halfhearted, at best, although Evan clapped louder than the rest, turning around to glare at the people behind him.

"Sorry about them; I don't know what their problem is today," he whispered to Brooke. Wordlessly, she tapped her scar. He seemed like he was about to reply, but the professor tapped on the podium again.

"Today, we are going to learn the Fire Blade spell," Professor Firesong announced. "You will be working in groups of three, since I do not have enough spell cards for each of you to have your own. Evan, will you teach Donna and Brooke how to cast a spell?"

"Yes, sir," he responded, nodding quickly. He pulled a wand similar to Donna's out of his backpack. "You'll each need your wand- oh, good, you have them. Next, you'll need to concentrate on your inner fire; feel the heat that burns within everyone, and draw energy from it." Donna seemed to be doing just fine, but Brooke could only feel pain when she thought of heat. "Finally, use your wand and draw the Fire Symbol, which you will see on the board," Evan instructed. From Donna's wand tip came a smoky red substance that glowed slightly. Her Fire Sign didn't last more than a few seconds, but she had still succeeded in drawing the sign.

The Diviner was another story. No matter how hard she concentrated, she couldn't "draw from her inner fire." Not even a puff of the red smoke came from _her _wand tip.

"Nice job, Donna. Your inner fire is really strong if you can get that kind of response from your first try. Brooke, it won't be as easy for you, since you're not a Pyromancer, but I'm sure you'll be able to get it if you practice. Just keep trying."

More than half the class period was over before Brooke even got the faintest wisp of smoke. She was getting more and more frustrated as she worked, watching Donna's Fire Symbol become brighter, last longer, and seem more like light than smoke. For a few minutes, Evan had coached the two of them through the process, and then he let them continue to practice while he worked on learning the Fire Blade. Evan's Fire Symbol burned into the air like a torch, and it lasted a full thirty seconds while he cast the spell. He was clearly a more experienced and better Pyromancer than either of the two girls.

As the last ten minutes of class rolled around, the professor asked for the students' attention once more.

"Excellent job, all of you. Congratulations to Evan Starblade for being the first to master the Fire Blade." He smiled warmly at the novice, who grinned. "For the last ten minutes of class, I would like you all to practice the Fire Cat spell. Some of yours aren't as good as they perhaps could be; I would like you all to be casting perfect Fire Cats by the test next Friday. Go on, then." He waved a hand and took a seat behind his desk.

Brooke began to feel sick. Her breathing shortened, and she felt somewhat dizzy as the Fire Symbols were drawn. She slowly slid out of her seat, moving away from where Evan was finishing up his Symbol. He tapped a small red card, and from the Fire Symbol burst a cat.

She screamed. The cat was huge; it had to be as tall as she was. Flames leaped from its coat, and its eyes burned bright red. The cat had claws and fangs that were burning, as well, and it growled, slowly inching towards her. With panic overwhelming her mind, Brooke tore out of the Fire School, slamming the door shut behind her. The Diviner didn't stop running until she reached the opposite side of Ravenwood, and she collapsed between two of Bartleby's roots, pulling her knees close to her chest and sobbing. She was no Pyromancer. She would never be a Pyromancer.

_**A/N: **__The sign says "Regal Fire, Burn True Forever," in Latin._


	8. Chapter 8: Consolation

_**A/N: **__Thanks for the reviews! :) _

Brooke had no idea how long she'd sat in the shade of Bartleby's leaves, crying until she had no tears left. After what felt like hours, though, she heard a sound. It was soft at first, and mingled with the other noises of the school. After a moment, though, it became more distinctive, and she was able to identify exactly what it was. It didn't take long for Donna to become visible, hobbling along the stone pathway, supporting herself with her crutch. The soft _thud _wasn't a sound that could be easily mistaken for something else.

"Hi, Brooke," the novice said softly, slowly making her way towards the Diviner. Brooke buried her face in her arms. "Are you okay? Did the fire burn you at all?"

"No. I'm not hurt," the Diviner whispered.

"That's good." Donna clumsily sat down beside Brooke, dropping her crutch beside her. For a moment, the two girls sat quietly. Finally, the young Pyromancer hugged her friend, letting her head rest on Brooke's shoulder. "I'm sorry you got scared," she told Brooke. "I'm sorry that you have to be so scared all the time … I wish I could make the scared go away but I don't know how and someday I'm going to find a way to make it stop so you can like fire again." She said this all in one fast breath, and Brooke couldn't help but smile a little.

"Thanks, Donna, but I don't think anything can make me stop being afraid of fire," she replied sadly.

"Will you get mad at me if I ask why you're so scared of fire?" Donna asked suddenly.

"I- I guess not …"

"Okay. Why are you so scared of fire?" The Diviner took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves before she began.

"I was eight when it happened. It was really late, and it was really, really dark. I wanted to get up and turn on my music … I saw something that looked like a snake, and I threw Maddie at it- she was my stuffed fish, just a stupid toy I was in love with as a kid. The snake … it was really smoke, and when I figured out that the house was on fire, I called to my mom through the wall. My parents slept in the bedroom right next to mine … I still remember exactly how it looked." She paused, staring off into the distance as she remembered the past.

"What happened next?" Donna's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"She told me to get out of the house, and to go to Mrs. Blueblossom's house. She was my babysitter back then. After her daughter, Kelly Greenstar, called the Pyromancer Department, we went outside to watch the trucks come. I saw … I saw my dad come out on a stretcher, and I thought … I couldn't find my mom, and I thought she was still inside. So … I ran back into the house. It was completely on fire by that point, almost every room in the house. I almost passed out so many times … I kept saying that if I got one more step, I'd make it to the top of the stairs and find my mom, and my twin siblins. Their names were Cassie- Cascade- and Calder. When I got to their bedroom … Calder … he died just after I tried to get him outside." Her voice caught, and suddenly, more tears formed in her eyes. They escaped effortlessly as Brooke tried to scrub them away.

"Oh, no …"

"Then, I went to Cassie. She was closer to the window … she'd gotten more air, and she was still okay to move. I told her to go out on the roof and scream for help … she did, and as I was leaving, I heard her scream. I tried to get to my mom's bedroom, but … but before I got there, the whole floor collapsed under me … I couldn't breathe, it was so hot and smoky … I thought for sure that I was dead, Donna! The fire was everywhere, eating me alive, and I was so tired and so scared and in so much pain that I couldn't even scream anymore. The Pyromancer Department found me there, and they got me to the hospital. I found out about my burn … my mom and dad were okay, for the most part, but Calder … he was dead, and Cassie- Cassie fell. She fell from the roof, and that was why she screamed. She can never move her legs again; Cassie's in a wheelchair for the rest of her life." The Diviner went silent, trying with all of her will power to hold back her tears.

Despite the stream of questions flooding into Donna's mind, the Pyromancer remained quiet as well, simply giving her friend another hug and trying to think of a way to help her. And suddenly, she knew.

"Hey, I know! Have you ever heard of Azteca?" The Diviner shook her head. "I've heard that they have really really good medicine and stuff, and they can do stuff like … well, like make people walk, even when they can't walk, and curing really bad burns and scars and stuff." She grinned. "I bet we can go there when we're older, and we can ask them to fix Cassie's legs and your burn!" A shaky smile appeared on Brooke's lips.

"You … really think they can help Cassie?"

"Yeah! Of course they can; they can do _anything, _just about! Maybe … maybe they can even help your fire fear go away." She smiled hesitantly. "You can quit Pyromancy if you want, though. I won't be mad at all, I pinky swear." Brooke carefully considered the offer. She could go back to Thaumaturgy. She could learn Ice, and she'd never have to go near fire again. However … she would be leaving Donna alone in a class full of potentially- hostile classmates. Evan was the only other nice person in the school so far, and Brooke didn't want innocent, kind, cheerful Donna to be hurt by anyone. Maybe Pyromancy would even help her to get over her fear of fire … she could talk to Professor Firesong. Maybe he could give her some ideas on how to not fear her own secondary school quite so much.

"No. I'll stay; I've got to try for a little while longer. You're braver than I am, Donna, and I want to try and be brave like you." The Diviner smiled hesitantly. "I want to learn Pyromancy."


	9. Chapter 9: Contentment

_**A/N: **__Thanks to scarletfireblaze for the review! :) _

Brooke tried. She worked as hard as she could to catch up in Pyromancy, and she did everything possible to get rid of her fire fear. With everything she did, nothing seemed to completely quell her terror, but she would no longer run screaming from the Fire School when someone cast a spell.

The ability to control the fire seemed to help with the fear, Brooke realized. Once she could tell the fire cat where to go and what to do, the Diviner wasn't so scared of it. It was the knowledge that the cat wouldn't suddenly turn on her, she supposed.

Donna and Evan helped, of course. Donna would cheer her on and stay in after- class study sessions with her. The two best friends would also study together whenever necessary. Evan met with Brooke during free periods to help her catch up in the class, and he would defend her from the bullies who made fun of her burn.

Although most people were cruel because of the disfigurement, there were more good people in Ravenwood than Brooke had expected. After a few days, Evan introduced Brooke and Donna to his other friends. There was Alexandra Firesong, a Necromancer who everyone called Alex. She was the adopted daughter of the Life and Death professors, Malistaire and Sylvia Drake. She and Evan behaved like brother and sister, often arguing like siblings, too.

Erica Bluestone was a Thaumaturge with blue hair that stuck out in two puffy pigtails. She wore a pair of round, owley glasses and was always carrying around a book- or many. She was the star student of the group, and she always had top marks in Thaumaturgy and Sorcery, her secondary school.

Heather Rosegem was the shy Conjurer who stuttered when she spoke- except when she talked about her younger sister, Sadie. Heather loved her sister more than anything else in the world, although she never spoke much about her other family.

Destiny Greenblossom, a quiet, gentle Theurgist, was Alex's best friend. Brooke wondered how two such different girls could be such good friends, but the Necromancer and the Theurgist shared a friendship much like Brooke's relationship with Donna.

The Diviner became fast friends with the group. Sitting with them at lunch became an every- day event; there would be no more sitting alone in the corner for Brooke Swiftriver. Each day at one o'clock, Brooke would put away whatever she was doing, grab her lunch from beside her bed, and meet Donna just outside the School of Fire. The best friends would slowly make their way to the cafeteria, laughing and talking the whole way there. Donna would do most of the talking, of course, but Brooke was content to just listen and enjoy the company of her friend.

She was happier than she had been in a very, very long time- the happiest she had been since the fire. Brooke had written home before, but the letters had been short descriptions of her classes, and of what homework she had that night, and the kind of thing a mother and father wanted to hear: "Yes, I've been eating well, yes, I've been getting along with the others, and yes, I remember to wash behind my ears."

Now, though, the Diviner's letters home were filled with Donna. She talked about the recent adventures the two had been in. She talked about whatever funny things the Pyromancer had said, and about how she was helping Brooke overcome her fear of fire. The Swiftrivers weren't very happy about Brooke's enrollment in the School of Fire- except for Cassie. Cassie was proud of her older sister for trying to overcome the fear, and the young girl would often send her letters of encouragement.

For a seven year old, Cassie was a fantastic confidante; after all, there were some things that Brooke just couldn't talk to Donna about. Her parents, for one, and Calder. Her little brother was one topic that was just too painful to talk about with someone who didn't know how to sympathize. The Pyromancer was a wonderful friend, but she had never known death. Cassie had. Where Donna didn't know what it was like, having parents that were scared to leave their own house, Cassie knew. The seven year old girl was Brooke's other best friend.

Time continued to pass. Years went by, and soon enough, Cassie was on her way to Ravenwood. Brooke was waiting for her little sister as she wheeled out of Headmaster Ambrose's office, dressed in the robes of a Diviner and wearing one of the brightest smiles Brooke had ever seen. The younger Swiftriver girl chose Sorcery as her secondary school, and she quickly excelled in both schools.

Apparently, Cassie was the only wheelchair-bound wizard in Ravenwood, which unfortunately led to bullying. However, anyone who dared to make a nasty comment towards Cassie immediately found themselves in a visit with Brooke, Donna, and their other Master friends. The bullying didn't last long.

Part of her defense, however, was Cassie's own skill. As the Headmaster had predicted, her magical powers were increased tenfold as a result of her handicap, and she quickly became one of the best wizards in Ravenwood. Her positive attitude made her popular among many of the other students- one of whom was Sadie Rosegem, Heather's younger sister.

Several more years passed, and by the time Brooke was a Legendary Diviner, she and her group of friends had traveled all across the Spiral and back again. They had hundreds of stories to tell the younger wizards, all of which were eager to hear about the other worlds. Brooke especially loved to talk about Celestia, the underwater world that worshiped the sun, moon and stars. She'd resolved to learn everything about the mystical world, and she devoted much of her spare time to research- only books on tape, of course, since reading and math hadn't gotten any easier for the Diviner. She often thanked Bartleby that the two skills weren't required in order to be a wizard.

Brooke didn't think that it was legal to be as happy as she was. She constantly expected some kind of tragedy to strike, something to happen that would punish her thoroughly for the happiness. It never did- and then Sylvia Drake fell ill.

_**A/N: **__Meh. Not my best chapter. I hope to make up for that boring rambley type stuff in chapter ten, in which le action begins! xD_


	10. Chapter 10: Tragedy

_**A/N: **__I'm very sorry for the long wait. Starting this week, I will be updating every other week until this story is completed. There shouldn't be too much more to write; I'm hoping to have this done by mid April. _

It didn't start out as much, really, just a little cold. The Life professor had a cough and a stuffed up nose, but aside from that she was perfectly able to teach. A few days later she stayed home from class, and a student of a teaching college in Mooshu stepped in as a substitute. Many of the novices that were members of Sylvia Drake's class could be seen sitting around Bartleby's roots, drawing get-well-soon cards and showing them off to the talking trees. The older students, especially the Theurgists, would stand in small groups and talk in low voices to each other, discussing Sylvia's slowly worsening condition. Occasionally they would help the novices weave healing magic into the get-well-soon cards. The teachers gossiped as well, although they were more discreet about it, often communicating through messenger-birds.

The heavy blow struck a few weeks later. Sylvia had taken a turn for the worst, and she was being held in emergency care in the hospital. Visits were absolutely not allowed, since it was yet to be determined whether the disease was contagious. The only two admitted were Malistaire and Alex. The Legendary Necromancer kept her friends informed on Sylvia's condition- which wasn't improving. Late one afternoon, Brooke was studying for her final Pyromancy test, which she was required to pass in order to receive her helephant spell. Donna held a thick stack of flashcards and was quizzing her friend on the many fire-related vocabulary words and possible questions she would have to answer. Having already taken the test months ago, the Pyromancer knew what to expect, making her the ideal study partner. At the moment, however, their conversation was straying slightly from the task at hand to more … interesting topics.

"Have you talked to Evan lately?" Donna asked Brooke, setting aside a flashcard in her "need to know" pile.

"A little bit. He helped me study for this test while we were at your duel yesterday. Why?" The Diviner wanted to know.

"Hasn't he asked you out yet?" The Pyromancer blurted out, unable to hide her grin. She saw Brooke blush a deep red, and she clapped gleefully. "I knew he had! We were talking during Pyromancy the other day, and he mentioned it by accident."

"I haven't _agreed_ yet," Brooke protested as her cheeks grew even redder. "I said I'd have to think about it."

"I may not be the most observant person," Donna began, "…but even _I've _noticed you glancing at him when you think he's not looking! You guys have had crushes on each other since novice; why don't you just say yes already?" She folded her arms, looking impatient. Brooke didn't respond. As it turned out, she never got the chance; they were interrupted as Alexandra passed them on her dragon mount's back, riding furiously towards the Commons. A young boy dressed entirely in the green robes of a hospital messenger was with her, clinging to the black dragon's saddle for dear life.

"I hope Sylvia's okay …" Brooke said softly, watching Alex disappear through the tunnel to the Commons.

The news came the next day: Sylvia Drake was dead. Professor Balestrom announced it to Brooke during her advanced Divination class, and Donna heard it from a group of Theurgists as she was doing homework near the Life School. The two met up outside the Storm School, and each knew that the other had heard the news the moment they saw each other.

The two best friends had known the Life Professor well. She had been friendly to them each time they were invited to Alexandra's house, and she was one of the most beloved teachers in Ravenwood. Her classroom had always been open to them whenever they needed help of any sort.

"She's really gone, isn't she," Donna whispered as the best friends walked slowly towards the Girls' Dorm Tower. Brooke nodded slowly.

"I guess she is."

"I hope Alex is okay. Maybe we should go see her."

"Maybe."

"I'm going to find some flowers for her," Donna decided. She smiled shakily, but Brooke could see the sadness in her eyes.

"I'll go with you. Alex likes dark flowers, right? I think I know where there are some black roses in the Haunted Cave; I can show you where they are."

"Okay." After dropping off their things in their dorm room, Donna and Brooke headed towards the Haunted Cave. They were side by side, sharing their sadness wordlessly.

-V-

During Sylvia's funeral a week after her death, Donna and Brooke were both in tears. They had each brought flowers to place on the coffin, and they had stood beside Alexandra. The Necromancer stared blankly at her adoptive mother's pale, cold face. She refused to show emotion in front of the many people attending the funeral, but Brooke knew that she had been crying when she was alone.

"_You shouldn't keep your grief to yourself, Alex! If you share it, it isn't so hard to deal with," _Donna had told Alex, but the Necromancer had simply given Donna a blank stare and walked away. As time passed, however, Alexandra began to heal- it was slow healing, and the effects weren't immediately obvious, but they were there. She stopped closing herself off from her friends. She returned to the lunch group, and she even smiled at Donna's antics every once in a while.

A month later, the old Alexandra was back- for the most part, anyways, since there would always be scars from what she'd suffered. Malistaire had been causing her quite a lot of stress, but when she was with her friends, the young Necromancer seemed almost like herself again, especially during lunch.

One day during lunch, Brooke walked in with a happy smile on her face.

"What's got you in s-such a good m-mood?" Heather asked, grinning as she pulled Brooke's chair out for her.

"Oh, nothing," the Diviner replied, glancing at Evan. He winked. Brooke didn't need to tell everyone that she had a date after school.

Unfortunately, she wouldn't get to go on her date that day; tragedy struck during their free period. Alex had gone to the library again. She swore that she had research to do on some project for Advanced Necromancy, although everyone knew that she simply wanted to read in peace. None of them begrudged that to their friend. She needed the peace. Heather had brought her younger sister, Sadie, to Unicorn Way. They were spending the free period studying for tests in the beautiful park on Unicorn Way.

Brooke and Donna had gone to relax in the Commons, enjoying the break after a long day of work. Brooke had taken and passed her helephant test, and Donna had just finished presenting a large project in Advanced Pyromancy. While Brooke sat under a shady tree and read one of her favorite books, Donna danced in the shallow waters of the Commons Pond. She laughed happily as she splashed in the water. The Diviner smiled as she watched her best friend, and then glanced at her watch. The two friends had told Alexandra that they would meet her in the library halfway through the free period, and then the three of them were heading to the Shopping District to help the Necromancer find a present for Erica.

"Hey, Donna! Come over here! It's time to go meet Alex!" She called. The Pyromancer waved and started over. She pulled her brace on over her boot and tightened the straps as she told Brooke all about the birthday card she was making for Erica.

"…and it's going to be glittery with lots of blue flowers since she likes flowers and there will be butterflies except not blue ones since those are mean and scary-"

"Hey, slow down!" Brooke laughed. "Do you need any help walking, since Sasha has your crutch still?" Donna had accidentally left her wooden crutch on her tiger mount's saddle.

"Nah, I'll be okay! I'm getting better at walking on my own, remember? Anyways, I asked Sasha to come and bring my crutch back; she'll be here any minute." Sure enough, the Bengal tiger came bounding towards them a moment later, immediately licking her owner's face as she paused in front of the two girls. "Hey, stop it, Sasha! I need to get my crutch!" Donna laughed, pressing the tiger's face away with one of her hands. She quickly undid the strap that held the crutch to the saddle. "Thanks, Sasha!" The tiger licked Donna once again before bounding away. The Pyromancer tucked the crutch under her right arm and hobbled off towards the Rainbow Bridge. "Come on, slowpoke!"

Brooke followed alongside her, smiling happily. "I can't wait until after school," she sighed, sounding for all the world like a normal lovesick teenager.

"Your date's today, right?" Donna grinned. Brooke nodded.

"We're going out to dinner in Marleybone and then going for a walk," she informed her friend.

"That sounds fun! I'm going to stay up until you get back, and then you have to tell me all about it," Donna declared. Just then, a massive explosion sounded in Ravenwood, rocking the entire ground beneath them. The Pyromancer was thrown to the ground roughly, and her crutch clattered across the stones.

"Donna! Are you okay?" Brooke gasped, hurrying to help her friend stand. Donna nodded slowly, reaching for her crutch.

"I'm okay, but we'd better go find out what happened in Ravenwood. It could be something really bad and someone could be hurt or something and that wouldn't be good and they might need our help-"

"I'll call Storm," the Diviner interrupted. She whistled sharply, and a moment later her swift shark appeared in front of them. "Storm, we need to get to Ravenwood as fast as possible," she informed the shark, helping Donna climb onto his back. She handed Donna the crutch and jumped onto Storm's back in front of her. The shark raced off towards the school.

-V-

The two friends stood side by side outside of the Fire School, watching as Patrick Firesong, the professor, raced towards the Death School as it broke away from Ravenwood. Donna clutched an envelope bearing the Firesong family seal tightly to her chest. It was a letter from the Fire professor to his daughter, Alexandra, and Donna was to give it to the Necromancer only after there was definite proof of Patrick's death.

"What do we do now?" Donna whispered, staring at the gaping cavern with wide eyes. Brooke didn't get a chance to answer before a whisper message rang in her ears:

_Brooke, meet me in the Commons in three minutes. Bring Donna. _

"We go to the Commons," the Diviner replied slowly.


	11. Chapter 11: Departure

_**A/N: **__YESIKNOWITSBEENALONGTIMEIMSO RRY! …Yeah. I will ATTEMPT to update once a week from here on out, which would mean that this story will be finished in eight weeks. (Yep, I have eight more chapters planned.) I can't guarantee that will happen, since I've got The Journey of Fire's Song and my real book to worry about, but I'll give it my best shot. ^^ Also, thanks to sock-feet-and-stirring-sand for the review! :D_

_**Disclaimer: **__… Nope. Don't own it. *Goes back to playing my flute* _

The two best friends were not the first to arrive. Erica was there as well, anxiously playing with her hair, and Evan stood off to the side, talking quietly to Destiny. He gave Brooke a small smile when he saw her, but his eyes were clouded with worry.

"I'll explain everything to you in a minute," Alex growled. "We're waiting for Heather and Ashley."

"Okay," Brooke replied. The two other wizards showed up just moments later.

"So … what's up, Alex?" Ashley asked curiously.

"My name is _Alexandra,_" the Necromancer snapped. "Three of my pets are missing. Some crazy psycho named Moira Moonchaser took them, and I've got a feeling she has something rather unpleasant planned for them. I'm going to bring her down, and I need your help."

"Of course we'll help you," Destiny said, gently touching her friend on the shoulder. "You don't even have to ask us, Alexandra." A faint smile appeared on Alexandra's lips, but it never reached her eyes.

"If some bully thinks she can take your pets, I'll beat her up for you!" Donna declared bravely, waving her crutch in the air. Brooke nodded in agreement.

"I'll help."

"So will I," Evan added, and the other three wizards agreed as well.

"Thanks, guys. I read her note a few times, and I think she's planning to use my pets to keep us busy here. We should get hunting as soon as possible. Meet back here in half an hour, and be ready for a long quest. I have no idea how long this thing will go. After all, if we don't find Moira with my pets, we're going to the other worlds." The Necromancer disappeared in a puff of black smoke, leaving Brooke and the others behind.

Donna glanced at Brooke. "We should probably go pack," the Pyromancer said.

"Yeah … I guess I'll see you later, Evan. Bye, guys." The Diviner waved and followed her best friend towards Ravenwood.

-V-

Brooke made a careful, neat list of each item the two best friends might need. "Spare robes- oh, make sure you have warm ones, just in case we need them-boots and hats. Don't forget your Krokotopia hat; you might need it if we go somewhere sunny," she told her friend, pulling the clothing items out of her dresser and setting them on her bed.

"I wonder where we'll go," Donna wondered, sitting on her own bed and staring absently out the window. "Maybe we'll get to see different kinds of butterflies and flowers, and lots of rainbows, and maybe there will be water we can dance in and new books to read."

"Remember to pack food for Penny and Piper," Brooke called over her shoulder, mentioning the two firecats that played together on the large rug. She tossed a large box of storm hound food on top of her violet and dark blue armor, which clinked gently when the cardboard box hit it.

"I bet there will be lots of different animals where we're going. Maybe you'll make some new friends, Penny and Piper," Donna said to her two pets.

"You'll probably want sunscreen- oh, never mind, I've got a large bottle. You can share mine. Get your medicine, though, and make sure you have your brace and crutch." Brooke carefully packed the medicinal patches for her burns and the fever pills to take if the scars got too hot. She also added her sunscreen. "You might need a water bottle, too," she added, setting her own on the bed.

"This is going to be fun, even if we have to do a lot of fighting. I can't wait to see all of the different places! Maybe we'll try new food in the different worlds!" Donna thought out loud.

"Donna! You haven't even _started_ packing yet!" Brooke scolded, neatly folding her heavy winter robe and stuffing it into her backpack. "We're running out of time; Alexandra said to meet her back in the Commons in half an hour, and it's already been fifteen minutes!"

"Oh. Okay. What am I supposed to be packing, again?" The Pyromancer asked innocently, looking over at her friend. The Diviner groaned, walked over and began pulling the items out of Donna's dresser, laying them on the other bed as she did so.

"Pack all of that," she instructed when she was done. "Don't take all day, either! We have to be out of here soon!" Reluctantly, Donna quit her daydreaming and started shoving her things into her large red backpack. She was silent for a short while, but a few minutes later she spoke again.

"How many butterflies do you think we'll see on the quest, Brooke?" The Diviner couldn't help but smile.

"I've got no idea, Donna. There will probably be hundreds of them." Her best friend nodded.

"I thought so, too. Just think; they will be in all different colors. There will be red ones and gold ones and green ones and orange ones … probably blue ones, too, but those ones are mean and nasty." She frowned thoughtfully. "I don't really like blue butterflies. I hope we don't see too many of those. I hope we see a lot of purple ones, though; purple ones are the prettiest. And red ones are, too … and orange ones. But that's it! I can't say they're all the prettiest, even if they _are _all the prettiest; I have to have a favorite." Brooke laughed.

"If you like them all, that's allowed," she giggled. "I think they're all very pretty."

"You're right. They're all pretty." Donna smiled in satisfaction.

-V-

They left the dorm rooms a few minutes later. Brooke's storm hound (Callie) rode in the backpack, poking her head out over the top and howling cheerfully. Donna's firecats ran alongside her tiger mount, batting at the large white brace on her leg. The Pyromancer laughed good-naturedly and shooed them away from her leg.

"Don't touch that, sillies!" She called to them as Sasha bounded through the Commons tunnel. Alexandra and Evan were waiting by the Rainbow Bridge, and the two best friends stopped in front of them.

"You're back. Good." The Necromancer nodded to them. "We leave for Unicorn Way as soon as everyone else is here." Brooke dismounted and moved to stand next to Evan. He grinned at her.

"Hey."

"Hey," she replied. "So, I'm guessing tonight is off…"

"Yeah, unfortunately." He shrugged. "We can reschedule it for after this is all over, though. Right?" Brooke smiled.

"Right."


	12. Chapter 12: Journals and Sand

_Dear Journal,_

_It has been thirteen days, six hours and forty three minutes since we left Ravenwood on our quest- oh, wait. Forty four. We spent four days on Unicorn Way; Alexandra's pet ghost (Blackhope) was there, and she was causing trouble that none of us could have predicted. She started calling herself "Lady Blackhope," and somehow she learned to cheat in duels. _

_We split up to go to Firecat Alley and Cyclops Lane. Donna, Destiny, Alex and I went to Cyclops Lane. We spoke to a guard named Private Emerson once we arrived. He hadn't seen Moira or any of the stolen pets, but he did have information about a troll infestation that was causing severe damage to the street. I went to help the other guards with the troll problem well Alex, Donna and Destiny went to look for anything relating to the quest. _

_A man named Private Sweeny was in charge of the TEF, or the "Troll Extermination Force." They were a little skeptical about my abilities at first (I'm not sure how NOT ONE of those men had ever seen a Legendary Diviner's uniform) but when I took out four trolls with a single Tempest, they agreed to let me help. Haha, their faces were pretty funny; Private Sweeny was redder than a tomato, and he could barely speak. (I think he considers himself to be a highly skilled fighter, and when he got showed up by a girl … ooh, that's going to leave a mark, hahaha.) Anyways …_

_The troll issue was a lot worse than I'd been expecting. There had to be five dozen of them on one section of the street, at least, and there were maybe a hundred trolls swarming the entire half of the street. I found traces of Myth magic on one of the trolls after I killed it, and I traced the magic back to the "Great Troll," a long-time nuisance on Cyclops Lane. He somehow learned a little bit of Conjuration, which he used to summon an army of lesser trolls. Once he was dead, most of the other trolls faded into dust within a few minutes. The few that remained were the normal species, not magical ones, and they didn't have any real destructive power. _

_Not too long after I finished helping the TEF, I got a whisper from Alexandra. They'd spoken to _

_Nolan Stormgate, one of Heather's friends who is only halfheartedly accepted by the rest of the group. (Except me. I think he's a jerk with no heart at all. After all, he and two of his friends were the ones that laughed at Cassie on my first day in Ravenwood.) Nolan told them that three students from his artifact recovery group had been missing for a few days, and a recently intercepted note had stated that they'd been taken by General Akilles. The three other members of my group were heading to Akilles' stronghold in order to rescue the students, and Alex wanted me to meet them there._

_We'd arrived just barely in time to save the three students. Akilles had been given orders by someone named "N," who wanted the younger wizards to be brought to the Haunted Cave. We defeated Akilles pretty easily, despite the fact that he cheated, and decided to follow our lead to the Haunted Cave after we met up with Erica's group._

_That person named "N" turned out to be "__**N**__ightshade," or specifically, "LORD Nightshade." He was the third and final one of Alexandra's missing pets. For a former wraith pet, he put up a good fight, and he cheated more than any other enemy any of us had ever faced. We beat him, though. Alex was forced to kill him, and ever since then, she's been acting … well, she's been acting _differently. _I'm not quite sure what it is about her, but the Alexandra Firesong that went into Stormdrain Tower was not the same Alexandra Firesong that came out of the tower afterwards. I really hope that she's okay, or that she will be soon._

_We're heading to Krokotopia now. Artur Gryphonbane had the Spiral Key, which he gave to us after we freed him from the Storm Lord. We've got to find Moira as fast as we can, and hopefully we'll catch up to her in Krokotopia. I'm not sure how much longer Alex can handle this kind of mental stress. After all she's already been through, I doubt she can deal with too much more. Donna's been as crazy as ever in an attempt to keep everyone's spirits up, but it's not working- at least, not as well as she'd like. I hope we'll finish this soon. _

_-Brooke Swiftriver. _

_P.S. It's now been thirteen days, seven hours and twelve minutes since we left on our quest. _

Brooke closed her journal cover quickly, tucking it into her swift shark's saddle bag before she passed through the Spiral Door to Krokotopia. She braced herself for the incoming wave of hot, dry air, squinting against the blinding sunlight.

"So, what do we do now?" Donna asked.

"Look around. Talk to people. Try to find clues about Moira or Malistaire's whereabouts," the Necromancer replied shortly. She stalked off across the hot sand, pulling the brim of her hat lower as she did so. Several group members followed her, but Donna was distracted by a bright purple Mander that stood by a bridge, flipping through a book. She headed in that direction, and Brooke followed.

"Hi! I'm Donna Dragonflame! What's your name?" She asked the Mander, waving cheerfully. The Mander jumped in surprise, nearly dropped his book, and took several steps back onto the bridge.

"P-please, don't let your tiger eat me! I'll do whatever you want me to do!" He whimpered. Donna laughed.

"Sasha? Sasha's a vegetarian; she won't eat you!"

"Neither will Storm. He only eats shrimp," Brooke informed the Mander. He relaxed visibly.

"Oh. I am Hetch Al-Dim. It is a pleasure to meet you both, young wizards."

"Hetch, do you know anything about a wizard named 'Malistaire' or an albino girl named 'Moira'? We're trying to find them …"

"I'm afraid I have not heard of this 'Moira' person, but Malistaire I am familiar with. He arrived not four days ago, and upon his arrival the Tuts rose from their graves to walk again!" He grimaced. "It was a terrible sight, or so I'm told. Many Manders have become enslaved once again. I was one of the few lucky ones that managed to escape."

"I see. Thank you for your help, Hetch. We'll fix everything, you'll see," Donna declared, smiling at the Mander. "Bye!" The two girls rode off to join the rest of their group.


	13. Chapter 13: Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

**_A/N: _**_I kinda rushed parts of this chapter … I'm not very impressed with it, but I'm trying to get this thing finished so I can attempt to get a few of my other stories off hiatus. (There are SIX OF THEM O_o) I know I said that this would be done LAST week, but I'm severely slacking. Ultimate Frisbee practice has been a lot more time consuming and exhausting than I remember from last year, and updates might still be a little slow. I WILL have this story done by July. That, I can promise. (Maybe.)_

Alexandra had spoken with Sergeant Major Talbot, who had directed them to the Pyramid of Fire. The Sergeant Major had informed the Necromancer that Professor Winthrop might be able to tell them more about the ones that they hunted. If only he'd been somewhere cooler …

The Pyramid of Fire _really_ lived up to its name. The moment that the group stepped inside the dim stone building, the temperature shot up from melting to borderline vaporizing. The place was very, very dark, and the only light came from torches that lined the walls. The small, weak flames only served to make the pyramid hotter. Donna and Evan even seemed ill at ease, and they were used to sweltering hot temperatures inside their School.

In the dim, flickering light, Brooke could see strange pictures painted on the sandstone walls in varying shades of red, blue, purple and green. Statues of kroks bearing scepters or staffs lined the hallways, looming over the group almost threateningly. Brooke couldn't help but shiver, and she involuntarily drew closer to Evan, who was riding beside her.

Finally, the suffocating hallway opened into a larger, more open space with a bit more air circulation and slightly better lighting, which came from six massive braziers surrounding a gigantic statue of a seated krok holding the scepter and scroll of the Krokotopian Kings. A dog dressed in an archaeologist's tan uniform knelt in the dirt beside the statue, and it seemed as though he was reading something written there.

"Excuse me," the Necromancer said hesitantly. "Are you Professor Winthrop?" The archaeologist spun around so quickly that they barely saw him move, and he drew a small dagger from his belt. After he saw who we were, the dog relaxed visibly and lowered his dagger.

"Thank goodness! I was worried that you were kroks!" He said, exhaling slowly. "You're wizards, though. You can be trusted, I'll assume. After all, you don't seem much like that one man- Malistaire, I believe- who was going around and causing trouble."

"No. We're actually trying to find Malistaire and his ally, Moira Moonchaser, and stop whatever evil they've got planned for the Spiral," Evan told the archaeologist.

"I see. Well, as I believe you have already guessed, I am Professor Winthrop of Marleybone. I was overseeing the excavations in this pyramid when Malistaire arrived in Krokotopia. I didn't see him personally, although I know of one that did. Just hours after that man's arrival in this world, the kroks- they've been dead for hundreds of years, mind you- they rose up out of their graves and attacked the archaeologists! Thank the Queen that several other wizards- younger than you, I believe- were here, along with a few soldiers from the Royal Army. Immediately after our situation was reported back to Marleybone, the Queen sent Sergeant Major Talbot and nearly two hundred soldiers to aide us."

"Who w-was it that s-saw Malistaire?" Heather asked curiously.

"A Mander named Hetch Al'Dim. He fled the Pyramid not long after Malistaire's arrival, and I believe that he is staying in the Oasis, where he is safe from any danger."

"Got it. We'll talk to him later, if we need to. Now, have you seen or heard anything suspicious, anything that could be related to Malistaire's plans? Also, have you seen an albino girl dressed in red and black lurking around anywhere? That would be Moira; she's a psycho and extremely dangerous, so avoid her if you can." The professor thought for a moment, and then slowly nodded.

"I have not seen anything suspicious, personally; however, I do know of someone who spoke of a strange and dangerous looking girl lurking near one of the closed off entryways to the Throne Room of Fire. Speak with Assistant Danforth in the Chamber of Fire. He will tell you what you need to know." The group thanked him and headed in the direction that he had indicated.

-V-

About an hour later, Brooke found herself digging through the dirt in the Throne Room of Fire with Alexandra, Ashley and Donna as they hunted for a piece of the portal stone. The stone would allow them to access the Map Room, where Moira had last been sighted- unfortunately, it had been broken into two pieces. Brooke and the other three were digging in a small antechamber, which was where the first half of the portal stone had gone missing.

"Hey, I think I found it!" Donna exclaimed, pulling something small and slightly rounded out of the hot sand. She held it up triumphantly just as a burst of flames erupted in the tunnel- the group's only way out of the antechamber.

Brooke only had a mild fear of her own Pyromancy or that of other wizards. She could deal with controlled flames that wouldn't do much damage to her. However, the explosion in the tunnel brought back memories- memories of a breaking roof, of clouds of thick, heavy smoke and of ravenous, hot flames like the ones now devouring their way to safety. Brooke's mind went completely blank, her expression wild, and she lost all control of herself, scrambling to get away from the raging fire and screaming herself hoarse. Someone might have called her name once- Donna? Alex, maybe? The Diviner could barely see straight from panic, let alone speak coherently. She could see the house fire from so many years ago. Brooke could vividly recall the burning and the desperate struggle for air, the mind-breaking pain as the upstairs floor collapsed around her.

She shrieked something that might have been words, and she felt someone carrying her. In some faint corner of her mind, the Diviner recognized Donna's uneven steps, and realized that her friend was pulling her towards the flaming tunnel. She screamed at the top of her lungs and fought wildly to get away from the hungry red fire, but it only drew nearer and nearer …

And then everything was dark. She was safe, and surprisingly rather cool. A gentle blue-green light flowed over her, and Brooke's screams reduced to silence as she shivered from the aftershock of the mind-consuming terror that had possessed her. It took a moment, but Brooke was able to regain control of her mind, and she stood to find out what had happened. She saw Donna, keeled over on the ground as the young Pyromancer held up her wand. She saw the two helephants that were holding up the doorway, and she saw as Alex half dragged, half carried Ashley out of the antechamber. She saw the dark figure appear behind her best friend, and she saw as Donna fell face-forwards into the sand, the helephants dissolved and the chamber entrance crumbled. Brooke could do nothing.


	14. Chapter 14: Change

**_A/N: _**_Only four more chapters to go after this one! :D I don't think I'll be done by May, like I've been planning, although I think I can get one more chapter done this week. I WILL FINISH THIS FAN FICTION IF IT IS THE LAST THING I DO! _

_In this chapter, you'll start to see some pretty disturbing- yet interesting- mental changes in Brooke. Cookies to whoever can tell me what's going on with her by the end of this story :)_

_The cover has been finished; now I just have to upload and post it. That should be done before the next update, or this weekend at the latest._

**_In response to le review …_**

**_NightSkyWolves: _**_You are correct O_o And no, I didn't get a sloth; I'm not a crowns person, so I stick to things I can get with gold. The sloths are pretty cool, though. xD_

The other group members couldn't be sure quite when Brooke's mind was broken. It may have been the experience of being dragged through raging fire, or it could have been watching as her best friend was trapped within a tiny, sweltering antechamber- but her mind was broken, and the Diviner's friends could only look on helplessly as Brooke threw herself at the collapsed rocks, screaming Donna's name and clawing frantically at the still-steaming pile of boulders and dust. Each member of the group silently debated with him or herself, trying to decide what to do. When Heather saw the blood on Brooke's hands- rubbed raw from the stone she was trying to force her way through- she quickly cast an Earthquake to move the rubble away. The Conjurer also stabilized the doorway as best she could. Evan pitched in by summoning a dragon to keep the archway from collapsing again.

The Diviner stumbled when the rocks disappeared, but she immediately stood once again and dashed into the antechamber, still calling to Donna. There was no sign of the young Pyromancer other than her slightly battered crutch, which lay on the ground where she'd been kneeling. Brooke crouched and picked up the crutch, gripping it tightly and sobbing. Destiny gently laid a hand on the Diviner's shoulder, but Brooke stumbled away from her, glaring with a sudden rage in her eyes.

"Don't touch me!" She yelled, taking several more steps away and waving the crutch threateningly. "Get away!"

"Brooke ..."

"IsaidtoleavemealonebecauseIdon'twanttotalktoyou!" The Diviner shrieked all of that so quickly that her sentence blurred into one long word. The Theurgist quickly took several steps back as Alexandra headed towards a strange-looking obelisk.

"There's something about this thing …" she muttered to herself as Brooke's sobs quieted slightly. That's when she noticed it. The moon symbol, which should have glowed blue, had been painted black. A note was taped to the stone. Alex pulled the note off, unfolded it and began to read.

_To Firesong and her friends:_

_Your friend isn't dead. She was in my way, and so I removed her from the playing field. That's all. Despite the temptation, I won't harm her in any way unless I find it necessary. You will find the Pyromancer in Marleybone. The Spiral Key is buried beneath this obelisk. Dig on the north side about two feet down. _

_-M.M._

The Necromancer hesitated a moment, and then read the note aloud. Brooke slowly looked up at Alex.

"She's still alive … if Donna's still alive, then I'm gonna find her," the Diviner snarled. An unnatural rage had entered her eyes. "There is nothing that _Moira Moonchaser_ can do to stop me. No one will stop me. I will save Donna." The volume of her voice decreased until the rest of the group could no longer hear her. They couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the old Brooke Swiftriver.

-V-

As the group traveled back through the Pyramid of Fire and headed for the Krokotopia Spiral Chamber, Evan walked close to Brooke, despite her disconcerting change in personality. The Diviner suddenly gasped in shock and stared at something off in the distance.

"What is it?" Evan asked her urgently.

"Donna?" Brooke took a few steps in that direction. Evan looked at where she was staring, but all he saw was the end of the hallway and a few kroks lurking in the corner.

"There's no one-" she stopped moving suddenly, and her face fell.

"I thought I saw Donna," she whispered. "And then she disappeared."

"Brooke, is everything okay?" The Pyromancer turned Brooke so she was facing him, and she frowned deeply.

"Of course everything's okay! Why wouldn't it be?"

"Maybe because your best friend was just kidnapped, and you're acting like a completely different person …?" Evan muttered to himself as Brooke stormed ahead.

Brooke seemed very distracted as she walked through the Pyramid. Every sudden noise would cause her to pause and look around. She gave a suspicious look to every flame that the group passed. Once, she stopped and stared at a picture of a famous Krokotopian Pyromancer for a full two minutes before remembering that she was supposed to be heading towards the Spiral Door. Several of the other group members asked her what was going on. Each time, she insisted that she was fine, and that they should just continue on.

When the group reached the Spiral Door, Alex pressed the Marleybone Key into its proper spot on the doorframe and activated it with her wand. They all filed into the glowing portal and disappeared from Krokotopia.

-V-

Marleybone's Spiral Chamber was actually an interior chamber of the Wolfminster Abbey, a large and grand cathedral in the center of Regent's Square. The ceiling was high and domed, and ancient paintings covered every available inch. The high stained glass windows were edged in dark bronze and gold. A scarlet carpet led the way from the Spiral Door to the exit into the darkened Regent's Square. Brooke stared apathetically at the inside of the beautiful cathedral, folding her arms and pacing impatiently as she waited for the others to be ready.

"Come on," the Diviner finally snapped. "You're taking too long! We have to go find Donna!" She stormed towards the large wooden door, but Evan caught her by the hand.

"Brooke, we can't just go dashing off into Marleybone without a plan. It's getting late out there, and dark, not to mention the fact that it's among the largest cities in the Spiral. It is far easier to get lost here than it is to find someone, and attempting to run after Moira and Donna now would be suicide." He kept his voice calm and level, trying not to provoke Brooke into another fit of rage. The Pyromancer was surprised at Brooke's rash decisions; his girlfriend was not someone to blindly rush into something such as a rescue mission in _Marleybone_, of all worlds. Thankfully, the Diviner listened to what he was saying and reluctantly waited for Alex to plan out their route.

-V-

Just over three hours later, the group was trekking through the dark streets of Chelsea Court, attempting to track a Shadow. This Shadow wasn't an ordinary shadow, however; people would see it and go missing. Most were never seen again, but some were found days later- either mentally ruined or dead.

They had been joined by a young Theurgist named Chelsea Dayriver, who decided to tag along and try to learn some more fighting skills. Chelsea was moderately quiet for most of the trip, although she was the one to point out the body lying half inside an alley. Several of the group members discussed whether or not to enter the alley, and eventually they decided to go for it. Their quarry could be waiting inside. Brooke hissed with rage when she saw who stood at the end of the alley: Moira Moonchaser and an unfamiliar boy dressed in pure white robes.

"I've been waiting for you," the albino Necromancer stated, folding her arms and leaning up against a wall.

"Where's Donna?" Brooke snapped, taking a step forward and tearing her storm sword out of its scabbard. Moira seemed unfazed by the question, although Alex thought she saw the corner of Moira's eye twitch.

"Are you sure you want to see her, Diviner?" The albino asked.

"Yes! Of course I'm sure! Let her go!" She shrieked. Moira shrugged.

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you." The Necromancer reached up and snapped her fingers. Something fell from the sky with a _thump_, and Brooke let out a piercing scream. On the ground, mangled and twisted, lay Donna Dragonflame. It was very clear that she was no longer among the living.


	15. Chapter 15: Downward Spiral

**_A/N: _**_Blech. This chapter was a demon to write … xP _

**_In response to ze reviews …_**

**_Anthonysupericewizard: _**_Right you are. More so than you think … _

**_NightSkyWolves: _**_Why, thank you! :)_

**_Scarletfireblaze: _**_You are correct :) She is most definitely going crazy, although I'm focusing on one specific mental disorder. X)_

**_As per ze cookies, _**_Anthony and Scarlet each receive half a cookie for kind of guessing what's up with our dear friend Brooke Swiftriver. Like I said above, there is one very specific disorder that I'm referencing Brooke's new personality on. Erica's assessment in this chapter might help you out a bit, (as will Brooke's actions) and she will reveal it in the final chapter of the story. You have until then to get the full cookie. Good luck! xD_

They left Donna's body lying in the alley.

True, there were preservation spells placed over what remained of Donna Dragonflame, but in the part of her mind that wasn't consumed by grief, Brooke wished that they could have given Donna a decent burial before racing off after Moira once again.

Brooke didn't sleep that night. As she lay in her sleeping bag, staring up at the sky, she couldn't help but think of her best friend. Donna's face appeared to her in the stars. Every gust of wind sounded like that familiar, childish laughter.

Brooke thought of the day she'd met Donna Dragonflame. She had been asked to be a guide to a late-arriving Pyromancer, and Brooke had worried that this newcomer would reflect on the fire that she hated so much. The moment that she had first seen her charge, however, the Diviner knew that she could never bring herself to hate Donna. She was too innocent, too good. Donna wasn't perfect- no one was- but she was the kind of person that could brighten any room or lighten any conversation with her smile and her cheery comments.

Brooke thought of her first Pyromancy class, when she'd run out of the School of Fire in a panic. Donna had been the one to comfort and cheer her up afterwards, and Donna had been the one who always worked with Brooke to help her stay caught up in the challenging School of magic.

Brooke remembered her thirteenth birthday, which Donna had been the only one to remember- and had managed to pull together a surprise party at the last minute. The Diviner could still clearly picture her surprise when Donna, Alexandra, Heather, Evan, Erica and Destiny had jumped out from behind the various pieces of furniture in her living room. Donna had set up an entire picnic lunch by the waterfall in Triton Avenue, and the group of friends had spent the entire day exploring all of Triton Avenue's hidden caves and having fun.

There were hundreds of memories, and all of them returned to Brooke that night. Every good or bad time she'd had with Donna, anything she had forgotten or blocked out … every memory came back, and Brooke cried silently as she relived her past in her mind.

"It's my fault, Donna," she whispered to herself. "I made you come and save me … I should have been stronger for you."

_It's your fault._

"Huh?"

_Your fault._

"…Donna?"

_-fault …_

"Donna!" Brooke sat bolt upright, looking around wildly. She could hear her friend's voice. Donna was speaking to her; she knew it.

"B-Brooke, are you okay?" Heather whispered, sitting up slightly and staring at her.

"Yeah. I'm fine, I just … I heard Donna. She was saying something, but I couldn't figure out what it was," the Diviner said, sounding almost dreamy. She glanced furtively at the Conjurer. "Why am I telling _you? _It's not like it's your business." Brooke immediately buried herself back into her sleeping bag and turned her back on Heather, who simply stared sadly at her friend.

-V-

**_Alexandra Firesong's Journal_**

_Brooke is getting worse. She seems exhausted- it's like she's not sleeping at all, and yet she insists that she's fine. Brooke won't eat, and she keeps to herself a lot more. Heather says that she talks to herself- well, to Donna, really- especially at night, when she thinks that none of us are awake. Yesterday, we were just walking through a street in Kensington Park- there was no one else around, just me and my group- and all of a sudden, Brooke started screaming and ran away as fast as she could. It took us fifteen minutes to find her, and when we did, she was sobbing. Apparently, she thought she saw some kind of monster- a giant spider, from what she described- and it was chasing her and breathing fire. Last time I checked, there was a considerable lack of fire-breathing spiders in Marleybone. There are definitely spiders, but only of the stupid, harmless clockwork variety, and they move slower than molasses in Wintertusk. It's getting really freaky, and I hope she gets better soon. Donna's death took a bigger toll on Brooke than on anyone else, but this is ridiculous. _

**_Evan Starblade's Journal_**

I'm really worried about Brooke. This quest is ripping her heart to shreds. I don't know how much longer she'll last with all of this stuff constantly battering her. I can practically see her strength failing as we travel through Marleybone. It's almost as though this world is sucking the life out of her. Brooke is no longer the same person I knew when we were in Wizard City. I don't know her anymore. I don't even know what to do. Nothing that anyone says seems to help her. Brooke's practically lost interest in living. I hope that something brings her back to us …

**_Erica Bluestone's Journal _**

**Brooke's recent actions have been, in a word, distressing. I've compared her recent actions with her past personality, and there is a drastic difference, one that is so massive that one would hardly know they are the same person. She's sad all the time now, and any attempts to comfort her result in anger. Brooke is very irritable and lashes out whenever any of us try and speak with her. She's practically quit eating and sleeping entirely; Heather says that Brooke talks to herself (although she seems to be talking to Donna) at night. The hallucinations she is having sound awful; there are monsters chasing her in most of the hallucinations, but in a few Brooke has relived the revealing of Donna's body, and in some cases she has seen varying scenes involving Donna's murder. I've analyzed these changes dozens of times, but Brooke Swiftriver's mental condition is nothing like I've ever seen before. I will have to do some more reading when I get the chance to … maybe I'll find something to bring her back from this strange fantasy world she's living in. We're going to Mooshu tomorrow, thankfully, and some of the best medics and Theurgists in the world live there. They'll know something. They have to.**


	16. Chapter 16: Journaling

_**A/N: **__First order of business: So, the cover picture is finally up! :D I got sick of waiting for my dad to hook up the scanner, so I just made a cover on paint. What do you think of it?_

_Second order of business: This chapter will be told in the same three-journal format as the end of the last chapter was. You'll get to read a second one of Brooke's journal entries, a journal entry from Destiny Greenblossom, and a journal entry from Sabrina Jadeleaf. _

_Third order of business: There are only two more chapters left after this one! :D :D :D I'm not sure how long it will take me to update those two chapters, however; I'm already putting The Journey of Fire's Song on a short hiatus once the next chapter goes up, since I've got five MASSIVE finals and two shorter, less painful ones coming up, and I have to study for five different subjects every day for the next three + weeks. O_o That rather depletes my time supply. If I get lucky, the story will be done by mid June. If we're not so lucky, it will be done sometime in July._

_**WARNING**__: This chapter is really where we start to see the T rating. There is some discussion about suicide, and Sabrina curses twice and describes killing someone very in-depth. You have been warned._

_The Diary of Brooke Swiftriver_

_Dear Journal,_

_I want to die. I wish I was dead. Donna is dead; this world should no longer be spinning. This is our last night in Mooshu, and we're staying in Hametsu Village. I can hear birdsong. Birds aren't supposed to be singing; Donna's dead. They should be silent to respect her. The sun shone today, and the moon shines now. Why aren't they covered with clouds to mourn Donna? _

_SHE'S DEAD. SHE ISN'T COMING BACK. DONNA DRAGONFLAME IS GONE._

_Nothing is worth it anymore. Why do I even bother going on? There's nothing left here. It's not like I'm some special, successful person. It's not like I'm a fantastic wizard or a great scholar. I'm not a teacher. I'm not a warrior. I'm just … Brooke Swiftriver, the scarred, mediocre Diviner._

_I want to die. I wish I was dead. Oh, wait, I wrote that already, didn't I? I don't even care anymore. I want to be with Donna in the Titan World; everyone's happy there, I've heard, and it's safe and peaceful and NO ONE EVER LEAVES YOU._

_I know a lot of ways to die- more than most people would think. There are the obvious ways- poison, blasting yourself with a spell, stabbing yourself with an athame, purposely drowning or throwing yourself into fire, and then there are the less known ways. I've done all sorts of research; someone could almost call me Erica Bluestone based on the amount of reading I've done about this. Asphyxiation- strangling- seems to be the way that Donna died. There's also electrocution, hanging, using Earth weapons that supposedly can kill a person from a long distance with a single shot, and even just jumping off something high. They all sound painful, though, except for maybe the poison … sleeping pills are easy to get, and I know that they're very dangerous if you eat too many of them. I'd be with Donna in a few minutes … no, she'd only get mad at me. Donna believes in trying your hardest, not giving up when things are hard. She- _The rest of this sentence was found to be illegible due to several water stains- most likely tears.

_We've done a lot in Mooshu. We had to fight three Oni- those are gigantic elephant demons- to free Mooshu from their power. The fourth one is the Plague Oni. He's the most dangerous of the four, and we're going to fight him tomorrow to free the Emperor of Mooshu from some disease that's slowly killing him. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. Maybe we'll beat the Jade Oni, in which case we'll be on our way to Dragonspyre- at least, that's what I think is going to happen. We might fail, though, and then I'll get to see Donna again. _

**The Diary of Destiny Greenblossom**

**Dear Diary,**

**I'm terrified for Brooke right now. I mean, the mental changes in her are terrifying enough as it is, but a few nights ago, something happened that's almost made me start panicking. Brooke came to me and told me that she hasn't been sleeping well lately- she muttered something about nightmares. Then she asked if she could use some of my sleeping pills, which I use sometimes when my allergies are really bad. (Allergies keep me from sleeping, which is a pretty big problem when I need every bit of energy I can get.) I said that would be fine with me, since they're a generic brand and nothing prescribed by a doctor, so I handed her the bottle I keep them in. Brooke poured a few into her hand and … she just stood there for a minute, kind of staring at the pills in her hand. Her expression was so horrible … it almost looked like she was going to swallow all seven of the pills right there in front of me. Brooke wouldn't do that, though … seven pills is more than enough to kill someone of her size. She kind of shook her head, though, and then she put six of them back in the jar, thanked me and left. What is going through her head that she'd want to try and **_**kill **_**herself?**

**-Destiny Greenblossom**

The Diary of Sabrina Jadeleaf

There are times when I honestly can't stand myself. I can't believe how weak I still am … I mean, I thought I was pretty strong, especially in Conjuration, but Moira Moonchaser's possession spell completely overthrew my free will. Note to self: Practice resisting possession spells. If I had managed to get rid of the possession, at least for a little while, maybe I could have saved Donna. All I could do was watch as Kestrel crushed her throat, and all I could hear was her screams and Moira's laughing. Yeah, you heard me right, self: that little red-eyed bastard _laughed _as she watched Donna die. I could have killed her for that. I could _still _kill her for that, and you'd better believe that I'm going to someday. I'm going to rip out Moira's poisonous tongue and make her _eat it. _I hate that little bitch. I hate her so much that I can't even say how much I hate her. There isn't a language in the Spiral to describe this kind of loathing. I could probably laugh as I watched _her _die. If I had distracted Kestrel for just a minute, maybe Donna would have had time to calm her down again. The possession was worse with Kestrel, you know; she wasn't just held captive by her own mind, but she was also turned into a mindless animal. Later, when she was able to think clearly and speak again, Kestrel told me that the "monster transformation," as she calls it, is related to this necklace she has. It's something that the Aztecans made to ward off involuntary transformation. Moira stole it from her while she was a prisoner in Dragonspyre. Jeez, some of the things that girl does make my blood _boil_. Everything that happened … it's destroying Brooke. We can all see it- except, apparently, for Brooke herself. She insists that everything's fine whenever we ask her. If this keeps up, Moira had better hope she dies while trying to run from us, because if I get ahold of her …

The rest of this entry has been removed for RRRRR rated violence and cursing.


	17. Chapter 17: Sinking

_**A/N: **__The hiatus is over! :D I've already posted this on my profile, but I'll put it in here, too: There are only two more chapters planned after this one, and one of those is the epilogue. I've already started chapter 18, and should have it up by Thursday. I really think I might be able to finish this in a week or two! :D :D Thanks to NightSkyWolves and spanish genius for reviewing! :)_

_**In response to le reviews …**_

_**NightSkyWolves: **__You're getting closer … ;) _

Brooke stared up at the Emperor's Palace with a vacant expression. Under normal circumstances, she would consider the massive architectural masterpiece to be beautiful- but the circumstances were anything with normal. She was losing her mind, and she knew it. The Diviner no longer cared, however- she only wanted to see Donna again, to hear her laughter and see her dance in the rain.

Brooke Swiftriver knew that she was a broken being, a ruined Diviner living half a life. There was nothing left for her here; nothing in the Spiral could bring her back. She was a floater- half alive, half dead. _She didn't belong there._

"Brooke? Brooke!" Alex finally yelled, waving a hand in her face. The Diviner jumped before finally focusing on her.

"What?"

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," Brooke replied shortly, glaring at the Necromancer. Alex glared back with equal annoyance. Brooke made a mental note that she should never try to out-glare Alexandra Firesong.

"Then let's go." The leader of their group turned and stalked towards the palace, quickly climbing the large stone rest of the group was close behind her, and Brooke followed along a little more slowly. Evan noticed that she wasn't walking as quickly as the others, and he dropped back.

"Brooke … whatever happens in there, remember that …" The Pyromancer stopped, searching for the right words.

"Yeah? Remember what?"

"We all care about you. Don't do anything you'll regret. Please." The last word was a whisper, and Brooke wasn't sure whether or not she was meant to hear it- so she didn't give more of a response than a small shrug of her shoulders.

-V-

The gates to the Emperor's Palace were made of deep crimson wood, and dozens of golden knobs covered it. Brooke vaguely remembered that the knobs were said to bring good luck to those who touched them. She didn't bother; luck couldn't do anything to help her. Not anymore. The towering, 20 foot tall gates were large enough that the Diviner had to lean back slightly to see the top as the group was getting closer to them.

The guards didn't give Alexandra any trouble when she asked if the group could enter the Emperor's Palace, and they willingly pulled open the enormous doors to allow them to pass through. The stone walls of the palace were carved with elaborate Moodhist symbols, and Brooke had a feeling that they probably told a story. Under normal circumstances, she would have asked Erica what the symbols meant, and the genius Thaumaturge would have replied that the walls told the stories of past emperors- but the circumstances were anything but normal.

Brooke didn't ask.

Erica didn't explain.

As the Brooke stepped into the throne room, the first thing to hit her was the thick, moist smell of incense, which hung in heavy clouds around the room. There was very little light in the room, and large, dark curtains covered the windows to keep the room shady and cool (not that the incense helped much.) The only light in the room was a single shaft of sunlight, which fell onto the unconscious body of the Emperor of Mooshu.

A loud, echoing laughter echoed off the massive domed ceiling of the throne room, and Brooke quickly drew her large sword. The electricity crackled to life around the blade as a massive shadow became visible through the literal fog of incense. With a roar, the Jade Oni stepped into view, blowing the smoky clouds away from him. The elephant was gigantic. He easily dwarfed his three brothers, the Plague Oni, the War Oni and the Death Oni. The monster that they faced now wore intricate gold and jade armor, and he was armed with a massive green scimitar. Brooke could only stare in horror at the 15 foot tall demonic elephant.

"Welcome, mortals, to the beginning of my reign as Ruler of Mooshu!" The Oni boomed, trumpeting loudly and raising his sword in the air. Alex narrowed her eyes and motioned with her sword. Kestrel, Moira and Evan joined her in a line, and the four of them dashed towards the Jade Oni, drawing the dueling circle as they went.

Erica quickly cast a sandstorm to blow away the remaining clouds of incense, which was doing nothing for the Emperor- only distracting Alex and aiding the Oni, who was used to the smoky air. Brooke stood off to the side with the others who were unoccupied, closely watching the duel. A flash of dark light appeared in the corner of her eye, and the Diviner turned slightly. Malistaire stood before them, frowning deeply and gripping his staff tightly with his left hand.

"Foolish children. None of you will disrupt my plans!" He roared, raising the staff and pointing it at Erica. Heather began to scream as a bolt of dark energy shot from the staff, but thankfully the Thaumaturge was quick thinking. She threw up her arm, and Brooke noticed a flash of silver in her hand- an athame. The spell rebounded off the athame's blade, but it seemed not to affect Malistaire at all when the energy passed through his body. Tristan charged towards him with a large sword drawn, distracting the former professor while Erica rapidly shuffled through her deck of cards, desperately searching for a spell to cast. Brooke didn't even have time to hesitate; she ran to help Tristan without even thinking about what she was doing and immediately joined the fast-paced duel for survival.

Brooke's sword flashed out and clipped the end of Malistaire's sleeve. The Necromancer dodged, only to be met with the edge of Tristan's longsword. He took three large steps backwards and fired a bolt of the dark energy directly at Tristan, and the energy hit the Conjurer square in the chest. Brooke couldn't help but turn to make sure her group member was okay- thankfully, his amulet had blocked the majority of the blow.

Brooke was too distracted to notice Malistaire take three steps towards her.

Brooke was too distracted to notice Malistaire raise his staff.

Brooke was no longer distracted when she noticed the staff descending towards her chest- but by then, she was too late. The golden dragon seated atop Malistaire's staff drove straight through her stomach, and the Diviner was too stunned to scream. She was too afraid to feel pain. Her sword fell from her hand with a soft _clang. _For a short moment, she didn't want to die, and a few tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She didn't want everything to end here- Brooke Swiftriver wanted to live!

But then she felt death reaching out its warm, inviting arms for her. Brooke saw the safety of endless darkness meandering towards her. She didn't feel Alex and Evan grasping her hands. She didn't hear their desperate pleas for her to stay with them, stay awake, stay alive. Brooke didn't notice Sabrina Jadeleaf's dryad trying its hardest to heal her wound. She coughed, but didn't taste the blood. She barely registered the pain, and although her tears escaped, Brooke smiled.

"Wait for me, Donna! Wait for me. I'm coming." She smiled. So passed Brooke Swiftriver.


	18. Chapter 18: Restoration

_**A/N: **__Only one chapter to go after this one! XD XD XD XD i'm seriously working my butt off to get this story done; if you feel like I'm rushing anything, though, please let me know. I'll probably be going back and doing revisions at some point or another, so any criticism is welcome :) Also, thanks to NightSkyWolves for the review! :) :) :) :)_

_There is a little tiny bit of semi-romance at the end of this chapter, and I apologize in advance for the fail-ness of it O_o_

**Wake, Brooke.**

_...Huh?_

**Wake. You are safe.**

_Where am I? Who are you?_

**Wake.**

Brooke blinked once. She blinked twice. She blinked a third time, and then squinted as the bright light assaulted her eyes. The sun was surprisingly bright; it felt like she'd been asleep for a long time, and she felt groggy.

"Where am I?" The Diviner asked dreamily.

"You are in the Holding. Welcome, Brooke Swiftriver." Brooke sat up, and she rubbed her eyes to clear them. Three people knelt in the soft grass in front of her. "My name is Tempest." The words came from a blonde man who wore robes of purple and gray. His eyes were a shocking shade of violet. "My companions are Blaze and Blizzard." He motioned first to the man on his right, who wore robes that were bright red and orange, and then to the woman on his left, whose hair was pure white and who wore ice blue robes.

"What is 'The Holding'?" Brooke asked suspiciously.

"Those who die come to this place in order to recover from the wounds they received while among the living," Blizzard replied softly.

"While among the living," the Diviner repeated slowly. "So I _am _dead, then." Blaze nodded.

"Yes."

"Oh." Brooke frowned; she was relieved, of course, but there was a strange sense of regret as well. There were things that she'd wanted to do while alive, things that she could never accomplish in the Titan World, but her time had been over, and she would accept that willingly. The Diviner stood. "Is Donna here?" Tempest glanced over his shoulder, and Brooke followed his gaze. A familiar girl stood there, still dressed in the red and white armor Brooke had last seen her in. Donna's red-brown hair looked like it had been brushed, and there was no trace of the large bruises that had once encircled her throat. Donna smiled that cheerful smile that had haunted Brooke's dreams for so long.

"Hi, Brooke." The Pyromancer took a few hesitant steps closer.

"Donna … your limp- it's gone!" Donna's smile grew.

"Don't you remember what Tempest said, silly? The dead come here to recover from _all wounds received while among the living_." She pointed to Brooke's face. "Your scar's gone, you know?" Brooke's hand shot up to her face and immediately sought out the hard, rough surface of her scar. It wasn't there. All she felt was smooth, unblemished skin.

"It's really gone …"

"Uh-huh! My limp is gone, your scar is gone, and we're free!" Donna spun in a circle with her arms outstretched, and then ran towards Brooke. She pulled her best friend into a tight hug, laughing joyously. "Free, Brooke!" The Pyromancer's energy was infectious, and Brooke soon found herself laughing as well. After a moment, though, Donna took a step back and gazed at her with a serious expression. "What happened?"

"I … we were fighting the Jade Oni in Mooshu, trying to save the Emperor's life and get the Spiral Key to Dragonspyre. That's apparently where they were keeping you. Malistaire showed up while Alex and the others were fighting, and he stabbed me." She almost unconsciously touched her stomach, still remembering the feeling of the staff piercing her flesh. Brooke frowned. "It hurt."

"Well, that's not surprising. You were being killed!" Donna retorted.

"Excuse me, girls. I hate to interrupt, but we must depart," Blaze said gently. Donna looked at him in surprise.

"Where are we going?"

"To the Titan World."

-V-

They had lived in the Titan World for only a few days when Brooke started to grow restless. She loved her new home- it was safe, there was no pain, it was beautiful and Donna was there with her- but she wanted to know if Alex and the others were all right. She wanted to know if they had succeeded in their quest, or if Malistaire had won. She decided to ask her grandfather, Torrence Swiftriver, who had been dead for about ten years and knew a lot about the Titan World.

"_Grandpa, do you know if there's a way to know what's happening with the living?" _She had asked. The older man had smiled.

"_Of course, Brooke. In the Titan World, you only need to wish for something and you will get it. Just wish to see the living world, and the Titans will provide a way." _Sure enough, after wishing to see Alex and the quest group again, a large pedestal appeared in front of her. A large piece of opaque glass was mounted on the pedestal, and when Brooke touched its smooth surface, images began to appear.

She saw Alexandra and the other group members trekking through a fiery world that Brooke knew had to be Dragonspyre. Donna joined her beside the pedestal, watching her living friends fight to survive in the deadly world.

"Is that _Moira? _What in the Spiral is _she_ doing there!?" The Pyromancer exclaimed, staring at the glass in shock.

"I guess I've got some explaining to do," Brooke sighed. "So, Alex had just finished fighting the War Oni, and she pops up out of nowhere! None of us trusted her at first, but …"

-V-

It was only one more month before the quest ended. Alexandra hadn't been the one to kill Malistaire- it had been that boy who Brooke had seen only once before, in Marleybone. He seemed very protective of Moira (for no apparent reason) and after she had been struck down by a bolt of magic from Malistaire's wand, the boy had stabbed Malistaire with his athame. The albino Necromancer had turned it around at the very end, Brooke supposed, since she had given her life to save Alexandra's.

Donna and Brooke watched from above as the remaining members of the quest began to slowly recover and rebuild their lives after the horrors they had witnessed. It might be months. It might be years, but their living friends would bounce back.

Donna and Brooke watched as Heather grew more confident in her own strength, and in her ability to help others. They watched as Alex fought against the post-traumatic stress disorder that the quest had inflicted on her, and they watched as Sabrina struggled to become more of a friend to those who had shown her kindness. Evan withdrew slightly from the group (at least for a while) so he could combat his own personal demons, while Kestrel, who had accidentally murdered Donna while possessed, tried to begin living her life again. Erica threw herself into her books to try and forget what she'd experienced; the Thaumaturge preferred the adventures in books and stories to the adventure she had gone on herself.

None of the quest members would ever be the same- but the Spiral was safe, and that was what truly mattered.

**_-MANY YEARS LATER-_**

Brooke stood by the river, staring at her reflection in the slow, meandering waters. She smiled; the water was one of her favorite parts about the Titan World, and it had been for years. Donna, of course, loved the rain (especially dancing in it) and was probably off doing just that. There was a large cluster of storm clouds not far off, and the Diviner's senses told her that it was most likely raining in that area.

She heard the sound of a boat approaching; a newly dead soul had just awoken in the Holding, and Blaze, Tempest and Blizzard had just brought him or her into the Titan World. Brooke didn't pay it much mind; the chances of her knowing the new arrival were slim. The Diviner heard footsteps behind her not long later, and she wondered if the three spirits of the Holding were coming to say hello. They did that sometimes. She turned. Standing in front of her was someone that she had watched from her Life Mirror (as Brooke had come to call her window into the world of the living) more than anyone else. Standing in front of her was one of the long-dead girl's greatest regrets. After finding that she was dead, Brooke Swiftriver had wanted to live because of that very person more than any of her other reasons.

He stood before her as a teenager, no different from the day Brooke had last breathed.

"Evan?" The Pyromancer smiled warmly.

"Brooke."

_fin._


	19. Chapter 19: The End

_**A/N: **__Here it is: the final chapter of Tempest Flame. Thanks to everyone who reviewed; you're all awesome :D Cookies go to NightSkyWolves and scarletfireblaze for attempting to guess Brooke's disorder; don't worry, all shall be revealed in this chapter, courtesy of one Erica Bluestone. xD Special thanks goes to Dylexia for beta reading the first few chapters of this story, and to NightSkyWolves for reviewing the most times ;) And finally …_

_Le Review Response:_

_**NightSkyWolves**__: Technically, it says "Many years later," so it could be any time in the future- two years, ten years, forty years … ;) You never know. xD_

_-The Journal of Alexandra Firesong-_

_Well, it's over. The quest is finally over. We're home, and at least Wizard City hasn't changed in the year we've been away. All of us are different. Some of us aren't even living. Donna's gone, and Brooke joined her after the Jade Oni battle in Mooshu. I guess it's better that Brooke died when she did … there's no way she would have survived Dragonspyre in the state she was in, and now she's with Donna in the Titan World. We're all going to miss her, though; it's like there's a big hole in my heart where she and Donna used to be. _

_I volunteered to tell her parents what happened. I don't think I've ever had to do anything harder in my life; telling a parent that their child is dead is one thing, but having to tell that parent that their child died because she helped me on a quest is an entirely different matter. Azura and Terrence were really nice about it, though; they cried, of course, but neither of them blamed me for it (I still think it's my fault. If I hadn't brought Brooke and Donna, they'd still be alive right now.) It was even harder to tell Cassie- especially because of how she took it. She kinda sat there for a while, staring at me, and then she gave me this tiny smile and thanked me for telling her. _

_I could hear her crying even when I was on my way out of the house._

**-The Journal of Evan Starblade-**

**Well … she's gone. Brooke is gone. **

**I can't say that I didn't expect it; she wasn't even the same person anymore. She'd lost the will to live. It's been really weird, trying to … I don't know, "reintegrate ourselves into society" after the quest. It's not just Brooke's absence, although none of us can bear to sit at our old table anymore. It just doesn't feel right without Donna's jokes and Brooke's laugh. That's a huge part of it, but it's also the way other wizards look at us now. We're not the same old wizards that they used to know. We've all changed- not all for the better, either. Alex is a lot quieter than she was, always thinking. Sabrina's so angry all the time, like she blames herself for the whole thing. Heather's gotten more confident in her own abilities (good for her, I say) and is the only one to have possibly benefitted from the quest. Erica … all of this reality has hit her in the face really hard. She's the kind of person who loved adventures in books, but after having seen adventure firsthand, I think it did something to her. She's buried herself in her books. It's her way of coping, I guess, but if it's meant to help her block out the memories, it doesn't work on her sleep (or lack thereof, since she hasn't been getting much.)**

**The quest ruined us all. I don't know what else there is to say. **

-The Diary of Sabrina Jadeleaf-

_God, _I hate myself so much. I know that their deaths were my fault. If I had resisted that _goddamn possession spell, _Donna Dragonflame would still be alive right now- and I bet Brooke would, too. If I'd saved Donna's life, Brooke wouldn't have lost her mind, and she wouldn't have gotten sloppy and careless when fighting. That's what happened, I'm sure of it. She was distracted by her grief, which is why she didn't- couldn't- react fast enough to save herself.

We've all gone back to classes now, since Brooke and Donna's funerals are over and the Headmaster wants us to get back to "normal life." What the hell does he know about NORMAL? Normal is dead. I'm trying, I really am, but I can't hide the scars from the quest. I lost a ton of weight in Moira's dungeon, and I'm paler than I ever was. She hit me once, too, and there's still a nasty red mark on my face from where her nails scratched me. All I have to do is walk into the School of Life, and immediately the other Theurgists are staring at me. I hate how they look at me, like I'm some sort of fragile little girl who should be pitied. Some of them are afraid rather than pitying. Those are the ones who see a girl who has dragged herself across the Spiral and back again. They see the girl who was a torture victim, someone who succumbed to a possession spell and watched one of the best hearted wizards in the Spiral die without doing a thing to help her. I can't take it anymore!

Note to self: I need to get some more hair dye; my hair's more of a light mint color than dark sage now. Stupid quest.

**-The Journal of Erica Bluestone-**

**I've figured it out. Once we returned to Wizard City, I did some research on mental disorders to try and find out what happened to Brooke. I figured that I owed it to her memory, you know, to at least find out what went wrong before she died. It was kind of hard, since there aren't many books on mental disorders (I only found eight) but I found it eventually. Brooke showed symptoms of a bunch of different disorders, but there was one that matched perfectly: Bipolar Disorder. It made perfect sense after I read the list of symptoms. She was irritable, easily distracted and didn't seem to need food or rest. She experienced both visual and auditory hallucinations. It didn't seem like she had any interest in living anymore, and she continuously denied that anything was wrong. Nearly every symptom matched up. **

**I miss her … Brooke Swiftriver, you didn't deserve to die. You didn't realize how much we all cared about you. You had a future. There were things you should have stayed for- but I'm glad that you're happy now. We will miss you, Brooke. Tempestas vitam aeternam gloria.**

The final words of Erica's journal entry were later spoken at Brooke Swiftriver's funeral. The words "Tempestas vitam aeternam gloria" were inscribed on her tombstone. The famous Diviner saying, meaning "The majesty of the Storm will live forever" is immortalized in stone, displayed for all to see- but there was another inscription on the tombstone, hidden low on the stone where very few would ever think to look: "The Tale of Brooke Swiftriver was much too short. It should have gone on for a thousand more pages- but it ended here. She has gone on to a place where she can live out her happily ever after. You are missed, Brooke Swiftriver."


End file.
